For a distinct group of Revere High School (RHS) staff members, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of their students is a top priority each day. From completing training on various safety procedures to accommodating student needs and solving day-to-day issues, Revere aides preserve the health of students on a daily basis.
On March 31, the district hosted a CPR training session, which led staff members through the procedures involved in performing the live saving procedure. Similar training sessions occur at post Professional Development (PD) days at Revere. Officer Scott Dressler coordinates and facilitates training, and contacts local fire departments to organize and execute training sessions. He described the urgency and necessity of undergoing training on CPR.
“Anything can happen at any time, and … if somebody’s having a traumatic experience, to be able to start something while police and fire are on their way, can save their life,” Dressler said.
Staff that get trained at PD days are those who frequently work with students that require more assistance throughout their day. Angie Hendrickson, an aide at RHS, commented on the importance of being trained on CPR as an aide.
“We do have some medically fragile students, or students with conditions where there is the possibility that somebody could need CPR. So it’s beneficial for us [to be trained] just because of the type of classroom that we work in,” she said.
At the CPR training, the trainees discussed questions to ensure that they understood the steps necessary to accurately perform CPR, and utilized CPR mannequins to physically simulate the process of completing it. Dressler described the goal of CPR training sessions as eliminating stress or intimidation from performing CPR or utilizing an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) machine. Karen Hogan, another aide at Revere, described how the hands-on practice deepened her understanding of CPR, and helped her feel more equipped to provide assistance in the case of an emergency.
“In the mannequin, . . . when you do the rhythm correctly, there’s two lights that light up. So we had to learn the timing of CPR compressions plus depth. . . . We had to give compressions at the right speed and at the right depth, so that it’s actually working. . . . I’m definitely grateful that they offer this, because it’s really basic knowledge for life, including in our schools,” she said.
RHS is equipped with multiple AED machines to be used in the case of an emergency. These machines can be life-saving, as they deliver electric shocks to the victims of cardiac arrest, regulating their heart’s rhythm. The recent training prepared staff to use an AED by allowing them to physically practice with the machine.
“I had never experienced an actual AED machine. I’ve watched videos, but to have hands on was really kind of neat, too, just so that in case of an emergency, it’s not my very first time [using it]. Those machines are wonderful because they’re very easy to walk through. It talks to you and tells you how to use everything,” Hogan said.
CPR training is effective in maintaining safety not just in the classroom, but at school events, too. Hendrickson noted that since she often works at Revere sporting events—an environment with a heightened risk of injury—she finds it reassuring that there are staff members trained to perform CPR should it become necessary.
Safety training does not stop at CPR. Aides also undergo Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) training, which helps to alleviate a student’s stress relative to a specific crisis or incident and minimize the issues resulting from that incident. Hogan described the process of receiving CPI training and its importance relative to her responsibilities as an aide.
“We also do something called CPI training . . . [which is] actually a de-escalation, which is a big term used with any student, but certainly with special needs students to de-escalate the situation before needing to do anything physical. We are trained annually on de-escalation techniques, as well as physical contact, if needed, and certified for that,” she said.
Dressler explained that ensuring that staff members are equipped with the skills and resources necessary to protect students is essential to preserving wellbeing and productivity within the schools. He noted the importance of keeping students’ focus on their schoolwork, rather than their safety.
“If you don’t feel safe, you come to school and you’re scared every day of the thought of something happening, it’s hard to go through your day, take your test, [or] pay attention to things,” Dressler said.
Some safety training is not as formal, rather, it comes from experience as an aide and working with different students to observe their needs. Hendrickson explained how working with a variety of people throughout her career impacted her knowledge of safety and preserving the wellbeing of her students.
“I’ve worked with students in wheelchairs. I’ve worked with students who just need extra support and help with getting around. . . . We have learned basically how to keep students safe in different areas, and just making sure that we are close by and being very observant to their condition that time,” she said.
Flexibility and understanding the needs of others are vital traits to possess as an aide. Hogan explained that working with different students each year poses unique challenges, and even the same students can require assistance in different areas across different years.
“Learning how best to handle each [student], because it can be different year to year, even with the same student, as they age and go through different phases of life. So it’s definitely kind of a work in progress at all times. And as soon as you think you have something figured out, the moon becomes full and everybody’s different. So . . . being very flexible and being very in tune to those things can be challenging,” she said.
Another challenge that accompanies working in such a student-oriented job, is preparation for any emergency at any time. Medically fragile students can be prone to a higher risk of danger, and require the help of their aides to protect them through unforeseen difficulty. Hogan shared her insight on constantly assessing any situation or environment for potential emergencies and their solutions, and how it adds another unique and heavy challenge to her list of responsibilities.
“I can’t tell you how many times I thought through emergencies and how we will have to help these students in such a different way. . . . [Some students] can’t just run away or hide or tuck under a desk, so as an aide just being cognizant of the overall safety, or in an emergency, planning those things out,” Hogan said.
Students’ wellbeing is essential to their success, and the hard work and dedication to safety demonstrated by aides at Revere creates a supportive and healthy environment for students each day.
