1 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:09,519 Hey, everybody. I'm Doug. That's Connor, and this 2 00:00:09,519 --> 00:00:11,939 is the Bethel School District Presents podcast. 3 00:00:12,255 --> 00:00:15,474 The new school year is here, and families, 4 00:00:15,535 --> 00:00:18,015 students, and staff have a million things on 5 00:00:18,015 --> 00:00:20,335 their minds. And a big one is always 6 00:00:20,335 --> 00:00:21,714 safety and security. 7 00:00:22,175 --> 00:00:24,975 Joining us today is Brian Streleski, our director 8 00:00:24,975 --> 00:00:27,954 of athletics and security, and Pierce County deputy 9 00:00:27,989 --> 00:00:30,969 Vicki Morrison, one of our intrepid school resource 10 00:00:31,029 --> 00:00:34,390 officers or SROs. These are basically Pierce County 11 00:00:34,390 --> 00:00:36,950 deputies that are assigned to the district. Vicki 12 00:00:36,950 --> 00:00:39,429 is one of 4 SROs in our district 13 00:00:39,429 --> 00:00:41,929 that help our students and staff stay safe. 14 00:00:41,989 --> 00:00:44,375 And one thing our SROs help out with 15 00:00:44,375 --> 00:00:46,854 are school lockdowns, and that's a word that 16 00:00:46,854 --> 00:00:49,255 can make many families nervous. So let's break 17 00:00:49,255 --> 00:00:51,015 that down a little bit. There are actually 18 00:00:51,015 --> 00:00:53,995 2 different types of lockdowns, a modified lockdown 19 00:00:54,215 --> 00:00:56,440 and a full lockdown. Vicky, could you tell 20 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:58,120 us about the differences between those and what 21 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:00,359 they're used for, and what do parents need 22 00:01:00,359 --> 00:01:02,280 to know? Sure. Sure. When we talk about 23 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:04,120 safety and security, we talk about ensuring a 24 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:05,180 safe learning environment. 25 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:07,719 That's our top priority. There's that threat on 26 00:01:07,719 --> 00:01:09,020 the outside of the school. 27 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:11,144 That's why we put the school in a 28 00:01:11,384 --> 00:01:12,284 full lockdown. 29 00:01:13,064 --> 00:01:14,744 And we do that until we get more 30 00:01:14,744 --> 00:01:17,644 information, and we can determine with some certainty 31 00:01:17,704 --> 00:01:19,564 that a modified lockdown 32 00:01:19,944 --> 00:01:20,844 is more appropriate. 33 00:01:21,384 --> 00:01:22,924 Modified is less restrictive, 34 00:01:23,320 --> 00:01:24,939 and modified is used for 35 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:25,740 many 36 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:27,579 things rather than just 37 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:31,240 threats. So we'll talk about modified. School occupants 38 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:33,980 are isolated from potential outside threats. 39 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:36,060 They remain inside the building. 40 00:01:36,915 --> 00:01:38,375 Again, the exterior doors 41 00:01:38,834 --> 00:01:40,454 are locked, which 42 00:01:41,075 --> 00:01:42,854 they should always be. Right? 43 00:01:43,394 --> 00:01:45,894 Entry and exit into the building is limited 44 00:01:46,114 --> 00:01:47,334 to those who have authorization. 45 00:01:48,370 --> 00:01:49,890 Obviously, if there's a threat on the outside 46 00:01:49,890 --> 00:01:50,629 of the school 47 00:01:51,010 --> 00:01:52,769 and we're in a modified lockdown, we're not 48 00:01:52,769 --> 00:01:54,609 gonna allow people to come in. We just 49 00:01:54,609 --> 00:01:57,170 can't because we don't want potential threats entering 50 00:01:57,170 --> 00:01:57,670 inside. 51 00:01:58,369 --> 00:01:59,989 The good thing about the modified, 52 00:02:00,689 --> 00:02:03,295 lockdown is teachers can still teach. If we 53 00:02:03,295 --> 00:02:05,454 just need to control a certain area and 54 00:02:05,454 --> 00:02:06,674 we don't want kids 55 00:02:07,135 --> 00:02:08,594 coming and disrupting 56 00:02:09,055 --> 00:02:10,914 or teachers being disrupted, 57 00:02:11,534 --> 00:02:13,455 sometimes we use the modified. So I know 58 00:02:13,455 --> 00:02:14,995 it seems like a really scary 59 00:02:15,540 --> 00:02:16,520 word, the lockdown, 60 00:02:16,979 --> 00:02:18,900 but it is trained just like a fire 61 00:02:18,900 --> 00:02:21,379 drill. Vicki mentioned the modified lockdown and based 62 00:02:21,379 --> 00:02:22,900 on our video access system that we use 63 00:02:22,900 --> 00:02:25,219 for our community, we're basically in a modified 64 00:02:25,219 --> 00:02:27,139 lockdown at all times because our exterior doors 65 00:02:27,139 --> 00:02:29,425 are always locked. We want to keep the 66 00:02:29,425 --> 00:02:30,944 the people outside of school that are aren't 67 00:02:30,944 --> 00:02:32,224 supposed to be there. We wanna keep our 68 00:02:32,224 --> 00:02:33,044 students inside, 69 00:02:33,344 --> 00:02:35,205 and we use that modified lockdown 70 00:02:35,504 --> 00:02:37,185 when we go into one. It's a it 71 00:02:37,185 --> 00:02:37,685 does, 72 00:02:38,145 --> 00:02:39,585 close the blinds and some of the different 73 00:02:39,585 --> 00:02:41,199 things on the exterior of the of the 74 00:02:41,199 --> 00:02:43,680 school, but we're basically in a modified lockdown 75 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:45,360 every day, all day to try and keep 76 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:47,439 our students and staff safe. Maybe the biggest 77 00:02:47,439 --> 00:02:49,520 difference is the hallways are closed. Kids have 78 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:50,960 to stay in their classroom. They're not going 79 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:52,800 to lunch or just to the bathroom, things 80 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:54,594 like that. So it's it's not as scary 81 00:02:54,594 --> 00:02:55,875 as it sounds. That's really what I wanted 82 00:02:55,875 --> 00:02:58,034 to get across for parents because there's any 83 00:02:58,034 --> 00:02:59,555 number of reasons that we could go into 84 00:02:59,555 --> 00:03:01,314 a modified lockdown. Like you said, a student 85 00:03:01,314 --> 00:03:02,995 or staff member needs support in the hallway 86 00:03:02,995 --> 00:03:04,514 and you just wanna keep the area clear, 87 00:03:04,514 --> 00:03:06,115 things like that. There could be a a 88 00:03:06,115 --> 00:03:08,290 police situation, you know, a couple blocks over 89 00:03:08,290 --> 00:03:10,290 or something, and we're just being extra safe. 90 00:03:10,290 --> 00:03:11,889 So I think that's good for folks to 91 00:03:11,889 --> 00:03:13,889 know. Yeah. The majority of our lockdowns are 92 00:03:13,889 --> 00:03:16,370 not school related. Yeah. But we've gotta protect 93 00:03:16,370 --> 00:03:18,050 our students and staff at all times. And 94 00:03:18,050 --> 00:03:19,665 so those are we end up in in 95 00:03:19,665 --> 00:03:20,165 lockdowns 96 00:03:20,544 --> 00:03:22,705 situations because of that. Absolutely. Yeah. You mentioned 97 00:03:22,705 --> 00:03:24,625 that we do train our students for this. 98 00:03:24,625 --> 00:03:25,985 As the students come back, there'll be all 99 00:03:25,985 --> 00:03:27,425 kinds of drills. We have fire drills. We 100 00:03:27,425 --> 00:03:30,064 have earthquake drill that's generally in October, and, 101 00:03:30,064 --> 00:03:33,000 of course, we do have lockdown drills. Our 102 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,500 SROs are involved in those drills, Vicky. 103 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:38,060 And before I ask you the question, 104 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:40,520 Connor actually was part of a lockdown drill 105 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:42,439 by accident. He just happened to be taking 106 00:03:42,439 --> 00:03:44,360 photos at one of our schools. So what 107 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:46,680 was it like being inside? Like, you're basically 108 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:48,455 a student at that at that point. Yeah. 109 00:03:48,455 --> 00:03:49,495 It was interesting. It was the first one 110 00:03:49,495 --> 00:03:50,935 I'd been in. I was at GK to 111 00:03:50,935 --> 00:03:52,614 take a photo and I just they said, 112 00:03:52,614 --> 00:03:54,534 actually, you're not going anywhere because we we 113 00:03:54,534 --> 00:03:56,155 have a lockdown drill starting. 114 00:03:56,614 --> 00:03:58,055 So I went into a kind of a 115 00:03:58,055 --> 00:04:01,655 large supply closet with, a few staff members 116 00:04:01,655 --> 00:04:03,495 and a few students and we turned the 117 00:04:03,495 --> 00:04:06,409 lights out and put coverings over the small 118 00:04:06,409 --> 00:04:06,909 windows. 119 00:04:07,610 --> 00:04:09,229 And we were absolutely 120 00:04:09,610 --> 00:04:10,110 quiet 121 00:04:10,569 --> 00:04:13,370 for 20 to 25 minutes. No one said 122 00:04:13,370 --> 00:04:14,030 a word, 123 00:04:14,569 --> 00:04:16,810 completely dark. And then the I see a 124 00:04:16,810 --> 00:04:20,095 door finally open, a light, and Brian Strelisky 125 00:04:20,235 --> 00:04:22,634 and Vicky Morrison right there going door to 126 00:04:22,634 --> 00:04:24,154 door. Brian probably they do this so much 127 00:04:24,154 --> 00:04:25,995 they probably don't remember the relief on my 128 00:04:25,995 --> 00:04:26,735 eyes, but, 129 00:04:27,035 --> 00:04:29,354 it was a really interesting experience. And so 130 00:04:29,354 --> 00:04:31,250 I did have that unique experience that staff 131 00:04:31,250 --> 00:04:33,089 and student get some time, but you guys 132 00:04:33,089 --> 00:04:34,370 are on the other side of this. You're 133 00:04:34,370 --> 00:04:37,169 out there kind of sweeping the hallways, I 134 00:04:37,169 --> 00:04:37,669 assume. 135 00:04:37,970 --> 00:04:40,129 So my question is, what's what are those 136 00:04:40,129 --> 00:04:42,050 drills like on your side? What are you 137 00:04:42,050 --> 00:04:43,889 doing as you go through the buildings? I 138 00:04:43,889 --> 00:04:45,435 will have to say that, first off, I 139 00:04:45,435 --> 00:04:47,194 know that you had mentioned that it's really 140 00:04:47,194 --> 00:04:48,954 dark and it was probably scary for you, 141 00:04:48,954 --> 00:04:50,254 but I just want you to know that 142 00:04:50,555 --> 00:04:53,115 in different schools, especially like elementary, we take 143 00:04:53,115 --> 00:04:56,074 that stuff into consideration, especially if they're securing 144 00:04:56,074 --> 00:04:56,814 in a location 145 00:04:57,189 --> 00:04:58,629 that if you do shut the door, it's 146 00:04:58,629 --> 00:05:01,029 gonna be super dark. And we don't wanna 147 00:05:01,029 --> 00:05:02,490 cause triggers or concerns, 148 00:05:02,790 --> 00:05:04,470 with the kids. We don't want them to 149 00:05:04,470 --> 00:05:06,629 be afraid. So, you know, the the older 150 00:05:06,629 --> 00:05:08,470 kids and the bigger kids and stuff like 151 00:05:08,470 --> 00:05:10,410 that, they train a little bit different. 152 00:05:11,145 --> 00:05:12,985 So just wanted to put that out there 153 00:05:12,985 --> 00:05:15,384 because that probably was a bit much for 154 00:05:15,384 --> 00:05:17,145 you. I wasn't crying. Okay. I don't care 155 00:05:17,145 --> 00:05:18,824 what anyone tells you. I wasn't crying. What 156 00:05:18,824 --> 00:05:21,625 I heard. But okay. So so, yeah, so 157 00:05:21,625 --> 00:05:24,185 what we do is law enforcement, we come 158 00:05:24,185 --> 00:05:26,660 and we call it running the drills. So, 159 00:05:26,980 --> 00:05:27,720 the participation 160 00:05:28,020 --> 00:05:30,279 is by everybody, including admin, 161 00:05:30,580 --> 00:05:32,040 office staff, nutrition. 162 00:05:32,420 --> 00:05:35,459 Everybody's running them. So they follow their proper 163 00:05:35,459 --> 00:05:38,199 procedures. Right? Their school procedures, what to do 164 00:05:38,339 --> 00:05:40,514 at a site like nobody's home. 165 00:05:40,835 --> 00:05:43,235 So we go as law enforcement officers go 166 00:05:43,235 --> 00:05:45,155 around and we check the doors to see 167 00:05:45,155 --> 00:05:47,555 if they're locked and secured. We also will 168 00:05:47,555 --> 00:05:48,694 enter into the classrooms. 169 00:05:48,995 --> 00:05:50,754 We announce so we're not trying to scare 170 00:05:50,754 --> 00:05:52,455 anybody. We're just trying to prepare. 171 00:05:52,769 --> 00:05:55,329 So we'll enter into a classroom and see 172 00:05:55,329 --> 00:05:57,810 the setup, see how they're setting up or 173 00:05:57,810 --> 00:05:59,110 see if we can see them. 174 00:05:59,490 --> 00:06:01,410 So we walk through and talk to the 175 00:06:01,410 --> 00:06:03,410 classes during that time. So that's probably why 176 00:06:03,410 --> 00:06:04,870 it took a little bit of time 177 00:06:05,175 --> 00:06:05,675 because 178 00:06:05,975 --> 00:06:07,595 if we see a classroom that 179 00:06:07,975 --> 00:06:09,194 may need some support, 180 00:06:09,654 --> 00:06:11,175 we address it. And we try to address 181 00:06:11,175 --> 00:06:13,495 it then and there depending on how many 182 00:06:13,495 --> 00:06:15,495 SROs are there. But that's what we do. 183 00:06:15,495 --> 00:06:17,254 We walk around and we do the safety 184 00:06:17,254 --> 00:06:19,894 checks to see, you know, what's working, what's 185 00:06:19,894 --> 00:06:21,800 not. And we gather a lot of information 186 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:23,720 there. If you think about it, like, the 187 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:26,360 teachers themselves, they just they do such an 188 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:28,519 amazing job. And then at the older level 189 00:06:28,519 --> 00:06:29,019 school, 190 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:31,480 even middle school and high school, kids are 191 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:31,980 participating. 192 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:34,519 Like, they're involved in that barricading and locking 193 00:06:34,519 --> 00:06:36,625 it down. It's just amazing. I love it. 194 00:06:36,625 --> 00:06:38,485 But if you were to just walk through 195 00:06:39,185 --> 00:06:42,305 the school, it's super quiet. I mean, no 196 00:06:42,305 --> 00:06:44,545 one's home. It is so quiet and it's 197 00:06:44,545 --> 00:06:46,305 it's bizarre. Like you said, it was just 198 00:06:46,305 --> 00:06:48,300 a little different. It is. It's but I'm 199 00:06:48,300 --> 00:06:50,399 just like, wow. This is people are studying. 200 00:06:50,460 --> 00:06:52,060 This is it. Schools like this all the 201 00:06:52,060 --> 00:06:54,379 time. People are studying, but, yeah, it was 202 00:06:54,540 --> 00:06:57,420 people are quiet. But our our staff and 203 00:06:57,420 --> 00:06:59,500 the students, they just do a great job. 204 00:06:59,500 --> 00:07:02,245 As Vicky mentioned, we're testing the the students 205 00:07:02,245 --> 00:07:03,365 and staff to make sure they're doing what 206 00:07:03,365 --> 00:07:05,044 we've kinda trained them to do. But we're 207 00:07:05,044 --> 00:07:06,485 also testing all of our systems to make 208 00:07:06,485 --> 00:07:08,404 sure that they're in place. Communication systems are 209 00:07:08,404 --> 00:07:10,724 in place. Our connection to law enforcement through 210 00:07:10,724 --> 00:07:12,805 our alarm systems are in place. We're testing 211 00:07:12,805 --> 00:07:14,550 all of our systems to make sure that 212 00:07:14,550 --> 00:07:17,110 we're prepared. If something does go bad, that 213 00:07:17,110 --> 00:07:18,709 we're ready to we're ready to help and 214 00:07:18,709 --> 00:07:20,389 we wanna get to our kids and our 215 00:07:20,389 --> 00:07:22,469 staff as fast as possible, give them the 216 00:07:22,469 --> 00:07:25,529 best chance possible of having a successful event 217 00:07:26,084 --> 00:07:27,845 and being able to come out and say, 218 00:07:27,845 --> 00:07:29,685 hey. We did it. We practiced this, and 219 00:07:29,685 --> 00:07:31,685 here we are, you know, and and families 220 00:07:31,685 --> 00:07:33,045 know that we're doing everything we can to 221 00:07:33,045 --> 00:07:34,105 keep them safe because 222 00:07:34,644 --> 00:07:36,504 everybody I got kids in the school district. 223 00:07:36,564 --> 00:07:38,245 I want to see my kids come home 224 00:07:38,245 --> 00:07:40,084 every single day. I want every student to 225 00:07:40,084 --> 00:07:42,129 come home safe every single day from school. 226 00:07:42,129 --> 00:07:43,970 And so we have to practice those things 227 00:07:43,970 --> 00:07:45,009 no different than we do with a fire 228 00:07:45,009 --> 00:07:46,370 drill, we do with a lockdown drill. We 229 00:07:46,370 --> 00:07:48,689 just gotta practice, practice, practice, and we wanna 230 00:07:48,689 --> 00:07:50,129 make sure that all of our systems are 231 00:07:50,129 --> 00:07:53,189 in place. So if something does go bad, 232 00:07:53,574 --> 00:07:54,855 we have all the systems in place. We're 233 00:07:54,855 --> 00:07:56,694 ready to go. Everybody knows their role and 234 00:07:56,694 --> 00:07:58,535 can take care of each other. Absolutely. That's 235 00:07:58,535 --> 00:08:00,855 so important. Vicky, you mentioned that if you 236 00:08:00,855 --> 00:08:03,574 see something that needs adjusted or corrected as 237 00:08:03,574 --> 00:08:05,254 you go through your working with the teachers, 238 00:08:05,254 --> 00:08:07,095 then did the schools get an after action 239 00:08:07,095 --> 00:08:09,095 report of, you know, successes and areas for 240 00:08:09,095 --> 00:08:11,790 growth? Yeah. Actually, we call it debriefing. So 241 00:08:11,790 --> 00:08:14,750 after every lockdown drill, whether it's the full 242 00:08:14,750 --> 00:08:16,770 or lockdown or the modified, 243 00:08:17,150 --> 00:08:19,090 we then, meet with admin, 244 00:08:19,550 --> 00:08:22,110 and we go over the pros, the cons. 245 00:08:22,110 --> 00:08:23,870 And so the drill itself might not take 246 00:08:23,870 --> 00:08:25,425 as long, but we do spend a lot 247 00:08:25,425 --> 00:08:28,305 of time debriefing afterwards. You know, when SROs 248 00:08:28,305 --> 00:08:30,485 are talking to the teachers, they say, well, 249 00:08:30,784 --> 00:08:32,704 what about this? And we'll bring it back 250 00:08:32,704 --> 00:08:34,625 to the team and say, if it's working 251 00:08:34,625 --> 00:08:36,464 in this classroom, it may work in the 252 00:08:36,464 --> 00:08:38,980 other classrooms. So, yes, we do a debrief 253 00:08:38,980 --> 00:08:40,899 after every single one. And each school building 254 00:08:40,899 --> 00:08:43,539 is unique. They're all set up differently. Every 255 00:08:43,539 --> 00:08:45,860 classroom is different. Every doorway is different. And 256 00:08:45,860 --> 00:08:48,600 so making sure we're working with staff individually 257 00:08:48,740 --> 00:08:50,500 to, you know, find the best way to 258 00:08:50,500 --> 00:08:52,825 stay safe for keep their students safe. And 259 00:08:52,825 --> 00:08:54,584 what is the next step as you kinda 260 00:08:54,584 --> 00:08:56,664 move through those the scenarios that that are 261 00:08:56,664 --> 00:08:58,664 happening in our lockdown drills? Because we wanna 262 00:08:58,664 --> 00:09:00,424 do everything we can, and everything is so 263 00:09:00,424 --> 00:09:02,584 unique. Each school building is so unique that, 264 00:09:02,745 --> 00:09:04,424 the SROs do a great job of teaming 265 00:09:04,424 --> 00:09:06,524 with our admin group to debrief, 266 00:09:06,825 --> 00:09:07,804 come up with solutions, 267 00:09:08,610 --> 00:09:09,110 celebrate 268 00:09:09,490 --> 00:09:11,490 how well we're doing as a whole to 269 00:09:11,490 --> 00:09:13,490 make sure that we've got everybody protected. Excellent. 270 00:09:13,490 --> 00:09:15,250 And and and we all do this because 271 00:09:15,250 --> 00:09:16,929 as Doug has mentioned, it may feel like 272 00:09:16,929 --> 00:09:19,009 we're harping on this, but safety and security 273 00:09:19,009 --> 00:09:21,169 is job 1. There we can't have these 274 00:09:21,169 --> 00:09:23,169 schools if people aren't safe and secure in 275 00:09:23,169 --> 00:09:23,669 them. 276 00:09:24,245 --> 00:09:26,325 So we obviously have a lot of staff 277 00:09:26,325 --> 00:09:28,485 members who listen to our podcast. So what 278 00:09:28,485 --> 00:09:30,004 can they do to help keep kids safe? 279 00:09:30,004 --> 00:09:31,605 Any tips or tricks for them? Yeah. I 280 00:09:31,605 --> 00:09:33,605 would say the number one thing, and Vicky 281 00:09:33,605 --> 00:09:35,205 alluded to it with the SROs of building 282 00:09:35,205 --> 00:09:37,044 relationships, but I think our number one thing 283 00:09:37,044 --> 00:09:38,644 that we have in our schools is building 284 00:09:38,644 --> 00:09:41,629 strong relationships. That's strong relations between students. It's 285 00:09:41,629 --> 00:09:43,490 strong relations between staff and students 286 00:09:43,950 --> 00:09:46,350 and staff members with other staff members. So 287 00:09:46,350 --> 00:09:48,990 we learn what is a trigger for a 288 00:09:48,990 --> 00:09:51,250 student or a staff member. We are continuing 289 00:09:51,389 --> 00:09:53,815 to see what is gonna happen next. We 290 00:09:53,815 --> 00:09:55,575 hear this phrase a lot in our harassment, 291 00:09:55,575 --> 00:09:57,975 intimidation, bullying. In everything we do, if you 292 00:09:57,975 --> 00:09:59,195 see something, say something. 293 00:09:59,735 --> 00:10:01,654 And the way that somebody wants to come 294 00:10:01,654 --> 00:10:03,335 forward and say something is because they have 295 00:10:03,335 --> 00:10:05,575 a positive relationship with somebody in that school 296 00:10:05,575 --> 00:10:07,779 building. In our community, we have our we 297 00:10:07,779 --> 00:10:09,639 wanna build that same thing with our parents. 298 00:10:10,100 --> 00:10:11,940 If you see something, say something, let us 299 00:10:11,940 --> 00:10:13,860 know. We can't correct something that we don't 300 00:10:13,860 --> 00:10:15,620 know that's going on. Come in and let 301 00:10:15,620 --> 00:10:17,460 us know because that's how we continue to 302 00:10:17,460 --> 00:10:19,539 get better. It's not about a punishment or 303 00:10:19,539 --> 00:10:21,220 anything like that. It's about keeping our kids 304 00:10:21,220 --> 00:10:23,534 safe. Mental health is is a real struggle 305 00:10:23,534 --> 00:10:25,455 in in our world. And our kids with 306 00:10:25,455 --> 00:10:26,975 social media and all of the things that 307 00:10:26,975 --> 00:10:29,054 are going on, we wanna really support those 308 00:10:29,054 --> 00:10:31,134 kids. If you see something, say something, but 309 00:10:31,134 --> 00:10:33,934 that strong relationship with an SRO, with a 310 00:10:33,934 --> 00:10:36,560 counselor, with a teacher, with the custodian is 311 00:10:36,560 --> 00:10:38,879 really important to have them come forward and 312 00:10:38,879 --> 00:10:40,500 and do it, say something 313 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:42,720 to an adult because that's how we fix 314 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:43,920 it. That's how we make it better for 315 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:45,600 our kids. And I think that's the most 316 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:46,980 important thing we can do, 317 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:50,095 is build those positive relationships with all of 318 00:10:50,095 --> 00:10:51,774 our our families and all of our students 319 00:10:51,774 --> 00:10:54,014 and staff. Bethel School District for safety and 320 00:10:54,014 --> 00:10:56,654 security is ahead of the game. We really 321 00:10:56,654 --> 00:10:59,375 are. And we've been practicing this a long 322 00:10:59,375 --> 00:11:01,715 time, but we just don't wanna get 323 00:11:02,210 --> 00:11:04,610 lazy or fall back on, oh, well, it's 324 00:11:04,610 --> 00:11:06,129 just for a second I'm gonna prop the 325 00:11:06,129 --> 00:11:06,870 door open. 326 00:11:07,250 --> 00:11:09,330 K. No. We're not gonna do that. Propping 327 00:11:09,330 --> 00:11:12,610 an exterior door is no longer having the 328 00:11:12,610 --> 00:11:15,465 whole entire school secure just for that moment. 329 00:11:15,684 --> 00:11:17,205 So I would say that that would be 330 00:11:17,205 --> 00:11:19,925 my number one. Hey. Think about this. Having 331 00:11:19,925 --> 00:11:22,004 a little bit of situational awareness when you're 332 00:11:22,004 --> 00:11:24,725 at school. And, again, back to the say 333 00:11:24,725 --> 00:11:26,884 something, see something, we use that for everything 334 00:11:26,884 --> 00:11:28,264 because look how many 335 00:11:28,644 --> 00:11:30,929 kids there are versus teachers, 336 00:11:31,470 --> 00:11:32,289 versus then 337 00:11:32,750 --> 00:11:35,070 admin, versus then law enforcement. 4 of us 338 00:11:35,070 --> 00:11:35,970 for the whole district. 339 00:11:36,350 --> 00:11:38,449 We need the support from 340 00:11:38,750 --> 00:11:41,870 the entire school, staff, students, everybody. So when 341 00:11:41,870 --> 00:11:43,970 we talk about that, see something, say something. 342 00:11:44,345 --> 00:11:46,045 If something just doesn't look right, 343 00:11:47,225 --> 00:11:49,884 it probably isn't. If staff is like, wow. 344 00:11:49,945 --> 00:11:51,945 They don't have the visitor sticker or they 345 00:11:51,945 --> 00:11:54,184 don't have a pass. I need to let 346 00:11:54,184 --> 00:11:56,184 somebody know. Yeah. Absolutely. And that ties it 347 00:11:56,184 --> 00:11:57,490 right back around to the because you're not 348 00:11:57,490 --> 00:11:59,490 gonna communicate if you don't have a relationship 349 00:11:59,490 --> 00:12:01,330 with someone that you can trust. Fantastic. That's 350 00:12:01,330 --> 00:12:03,250 great. Thank you both. This has been some 351 00:12:03,250 --> 00:12:05,490 really great stuff. But, Brian, you also do 352 00:12:05,490 --> 00:12:07,490 a little double duty because you're also our 353 00:12:07,490 --> 00:12:09,970 director of athletics, and we wouldn't be doing 354 00:12:09,970 --> 00:12:11,955 our jobs if we didn't get a little 355 00:12:11,955 --> 00:12:14,274 preview of the football season. So what can 356 00:12:14,274 --> 00:12:16,115 we expect this year? I think everyone expects 357 00:12:16,115 --> 00:12:18,695 big things from GK because that's always, but 358 00:12:18,835 --> 00:12:21,154 what's how's GK looking? How's Bethel looking? How's 359 00:12:21,154 --> 00:12:23,235 Spanaway Lake looking? Well, we're on we're on 360 00:12:23,235 --> 00:12:25,315 an exciting year this year. The first time 361 00:12:25,315 --> 00:12:26,940 in 8 years, we've got all three high 362 00:12:26,940 --> 00:12:28,940 schools are in the 4 a SPSL again. 363 00:12:28,940 --> 00:12:31,740 Wow. So that's exciting for us. Brings back 364 00:12:31,740 --> 00:12:33,500 all of the rivalry games in all sports. 365 00:12:33,500 --> 00:12:35,740 And so we're we're really excited about it. 366 00:12:35,899 --> 00:12:37,259 It'll be a little bit different for our 367 00:12:37,259 --> 00:12:39,019 community, but we get to see our kids 368 00:12:39,019 --> 00:12:40,960 playing against each other more and really competing. 369 00:12:41,384 --> 00:12:43,465 There's nothing better than having, you know, kids 370 00:12:43,465 --> 00:12:45,065 that know each other compete really hard on 371 00:12:45,065 --> 00:12:46,825 the field, walk off giving each other high 372 00:12:46,825 --> 00:12:48,105 fives. And this is we got a great 373 00:12:48,105 --> 00:12:49,705 opportunity out of all 3 schools in the 374 00:12:49,705 --> 00:12:51,225 same league doing that at the high school 375 00:12:51,225 --> 00:12:53,159 level. So that's very exciting for us. 376 00:12:53,639 --> 00:12:55,959 Spinner Lake is, looking you know, they're one 377 00:12:55,959 --> 00:12:57,240 of the most athletic teams in the league 378 00:12:57,240 --> 00:12:58,679 always, so we're excited to see what they 379 00:12:58,679 --> 00:12:59,959 can do. Coming up from the 3 a 380 00:12:59,959 --> 00:13:01,000 and how they can compete in the 4 381 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:02,379 a level is gonna be amazing. 382 00:13:02,839 --> 00:13:04,919 Looking forward to that. Bethel High School is 383 00:13:04,919 --> 00:13:07,034 coming off a playoff run last year. Also 384 00:13:07,034 --> 00:13:09,195 bringing back one of the high profile recruits 385 00:13:09,195 --> 00:13:10,174 in the state of Washington. 386 00:13:10,634 --> 00:13:12,495 And, Zadris Rainy Sale, 387 00:13:12,955 --> 00:13:14,714 excited to see the UW commit out on 388 00:13:14,714 --> 00:13:16,875 the field again, and so they're looking to 389 00:13:16,875 --> 00:13:19,195 be strong once again. GK is gonna be 390 00:13:19,195 --> 00:13:20,475 strong. They have a little reload. We got 391 00:13:20,475 --> 00:13:22,414 a young quarterback, some young receivers, 392 00:13:22,930 --> 00:13:24,769 but they're looking to reload and compete again 393 00:13:24,769 --> 00:13:26,290 for the league. They aren't we're in 2 394 00:13:26,290 --> 00:13:27,649 divisions, so there it'll be a little bit 395 00:13:27,649 --> 00:13:30,370 different playing this year, but super excited to 396 00:13:30,370 --> 00:13:31,830 have them all back in the same league. 397 00:13:32,210 --> 00:13:34,870 But, we got some strong teams coming, volleyball, 398 00:13:35,294 --> 00:13:35,794 soccer. 399 00:13:36,254 --> 00:13:38,654 We're looking to make some playoff runs potentially 400 00:13:38,654 --> 00:13:40,735 to the state playoffs for our volleyball and 401 00:13:40,735 --> 00:13:42,975 soccer teams. Very exciting about that. And we 402 00:13:42,975 --> 00:13:45,054 always have qualifiers for our cross country and 403 00:13:45,054 --> 00:13:46,894 golf into the state tournament. So got some 404 00:13:46,894 --> 00:13:48,595 great athletes doing great things. 405 00:13:48,959 --> 00:13:50,799 The great part about this is is what 406 00:13:50,799 --> 00:13:52,639 the dual role of director of athletics and 407 00:13:52,639 --> 00:13:54,399 security is is we have we put some 408 00:13:54,399 --> 00:13:57,120 precautions in play at Art Crate Field also. 409 00:13:57,120 --> 00:13:58,879 So when we have our football games at 410 00:13:58,879 --> 00:14:00,480 Art Crate for the 3 high schools, we 411 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:01,620 got clear bag policy. 412 00:14:02,225 --> 00:14:03,904 We're we're all we're monitoring what people are 413 00:14:03,904 --> 00:14:06,225 doing, bringing in. We employ our SROs there 414 00:14:06,225 --> 00:14:07,745 also to make sure that we've got people 415 00:14:07,745 --> 00:14:09,825 there to protect us, make sure everybody's safe. 416 00:14:09,825 --> 00:14:11,105 So we wanna make sure that we do 417 00:14:11,105 --> 00:14:14,144 that and, keep everybody safe while enjoying some 418 00:14:14,144 --> 00:14:16,570 great competition across the area. And our teams 419 00:14:16,570 --> 00:14:18,570 are looking strong, and we're gonna continue to 420 00:14:18,570 --> 00:14:19,070 compete. 421 00:14:19,450 --> 00:14:21,529 What's really crazy is the the sheer number 422 00:14:21,529 --> 00:14:23,289 of kids we're trying to connect to adults, 423 00:14:23,289 --> 00:14:25,129 and that is our number of kids that 424 00:14:25,129 --> 00:14:27,210 participate in athletics. Our middle schools are gonna 425 00:14:27,210 --> 00:14:29,370 see a 150 plus kids in the fall 426 00:14:29,370 --> 00:14:30,269 season alone 427 00:14:30,625 --> 00:14:33,445 running track and field, playing baseball, playing softball. 428 00:14:33,665 --> 00:14:35,024 Our high schools are gonna be running 2 429 00:14:35,024 --> 00:14:37,024 to 300 kids out in all the different 430 00:14:37,024 --> 00:14:39,504 sports. And that's a connection to our community. 431 00:14:39,504 --> 00:14:41,345 It's a connection to our staff, and it 432 00:14:41,345 --> 00:14:43,504 really builds a a sense of community for 433 00:14:43,504 --> 00:14:45,425 us. That's a lot of competition. It's a 434 00:14:45,425 --> 00:14:46,919 lot of high fives. It's a lot of 435 00:14:46,919 --> 00:14:49,320 frustration. There's some tears in there. But, man, 436 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:50,679 it's it's really fun to see those kids 437 00:14:50,679 --> 00:14:52,679 come across the finish line, win a baseball 438 00:14:52,679 --> 00:14:54,519 game, a softball game, whatever it may be 439 00:14:54,519 --> 00:14:56,279 in the middle schools and seeing our kids 440 00:14:56,279 --> 00:14:57,480 at the high school, you know, move on 441 00:14:57,480 --> 00:14:58,919 to the playoffs. And so it's a great 442 00:14:58,919 --> 00:15:01,375 opportunity, though. Lots of kids participated in the 443 00:15:01,375 --> 00:15:03,055 fall. That's great. That's great for the students 444 00:15:03,055 --> 00:15:04,735 too. Some for some students, sports is why 445 00:15:04,735 --> 00:15:06,175 they show up at school. So Educating the 446 00:15:06,175 --> 00:15:08,434 whole student is really important. Yeah. And athletics 447 00:15:08,495 --> 00:15:10,175 really is a portion of educating the whole 448 00:15:10,175 --> 00:15:12,495 student. And it, you know, it kinda wraps 449 00:15:12,495 --> 00:15:15,110 in the the life skills. It wraps in 450 00:15:15,330 --> 00:15:17,250 to discipline and some of those things that 451 00:15:17,250 --> 00:15:18,210 are gonna come up the rest of your 452 00:15:18,210 --> 00:15:20,450 life, not to mention the healthy habits of 453 00:15:20,450 --> 00:15:22,850 eating right and and being able to compete, 454 00:15:22,850 --> 00:15:24,929 stretching. All of the things that make you 455 00:15:24,929 --> 00:15:27,090 able to move through your adult life is 456 00:15:27,090 --> 00:15:28,745 you're learning at a young age, but you're 457 00:15:28,745 --> 00:15:30,424 also doing it in a safe environment with 458 00:15:30,424 --> 00:15:32,184 people that really care and want the best 459 00:15:32,184 --> 00:15:33,784 for you. Yeah. And keeping your grades up 460 00:15:33,784 --> 00:15:34,904 so you can stay on the team. Like, 461 00:15:34,904 --> 00:15:37,304 it it all ties together. That's fantastic. Yeah. 462 00:15:37,304 --> 00:15:39,225 A lot of great athletics coming out. Everyone 463 00:15:39,225 --> 00:15:40,870 get out there, watch some games, support our 464 00:15:40,870 --> 00:15:42,549 kids, and we wanna thank you both so 465 00:15:42,549 --> 00:15:44,709 much for coming. What a great conversation. Thank 466 00:15:44,709 --> 00:15:46,329 you very much. Thank you. 467 00:15:49,350 --> 00:15:51,449 Well, thank you once again to Brian Streloski, 468 00:15:51,509 --> 00:15:54,069 our director of athletics and security, and Pierce 469 00:15:54,069 --> 00:15:56,894 County deputy Vicki Morrison, one of our intrepid 470 00:15:57,195 --> 00:15:57,695 SROs. 471 00:15:58,235 --> 00:15:59,754 And we'll be back with you next week 472 00:15:59,754 --> 00:16:01,134 for another great episode. 473 00:16:05,115 --> 00:16:07,409 Brian, you mentioned already we have 4 school 474 00:16:07,569 --> 00:16:09,970 security officers or SROs in our district to 475 00:16:09,970 --> 00:16:11,089 help students and staffs 476 00:16:11,970 --> 00:16:14,049 to help students and staffs say say to 477 00:16:14,049 --> 00:16:16,449 help students and staffs say You just do 478 00:16:16,449 --> 00:16:18,049 do that whole thing over because he said 479 00:16:18,049 --> 00:16:21,089 school This is terrible. School resource officers. Thank 480 00:16:21,089 --> 00:16:21,829 you. School 481 00:16:22,154 --> 00:16:24,235 resource. What did I say? You said security 482 00:16:24,235 --> 00:16:26,794 officers. Thank you. Oh, and SSOs. That's not 483 00:16:26,794 --> 00:16:28,954 what it is. Thank you. No disrespect. It's 484 00:16:28,954 --> 00:16:30,975 just that I work hard here, but okay. 485 00:16:32,235 --> 00:16:34,975 We have 4 school resource officers or SROs 486 00:16:35,034 --> 00:16:36,634 in our district to help our students and 487 00:16:36,634 --> 00:16:38,329 staff say stays safe. 488 00:16:39,429 --> 00:16:40,870 This is kind of a tongue twister, right? 489 00:16:40,870 --> 00:16:42,709 You wrote this. I did. Boy, that's a 490 00:16:42,709 --> 00:16:44,709 lot of s's altogether. To help students and 491 00:16:44,709 --> 00:16:46,389 staff stay safe. That is a bit of 492 00:16:46,389 --> 00:16:48,149 a tongue twister. Wait. Just a bit though. 493 00:16:48,149 --> 00:16:49,589 You said it just fine. Well, I'm a 494 00:16:49,589 --> 00:16:50,970 professional. You are. 495 00:16:53,274 --> 00:16:55,754 What can they do to help kid so 496 00:16:55,754 --> 00:16:57,355 what can they do to help keep kids 497 00:16:57,355 --> 00:16:59,674 safe? Are there any tricks or tips, you 498 00:16:59,674 --> 00:17:01,214 know, are there any 499 00:17:02,875 --> 00:17:05,115 pulling a dug here. That's what we that's 500 00:17:05,115 --> 00:17:06,255 what we call it.