The Revere Local School district is conducting a series of presentations for its students regarding proper safety and security measures.

The program went into effect in late February 2014, and will continue into May. Each school within the district will host at least one presentation for its students. Randy Boroff, Superintendent of the Revere Local School district, spoke of the program’s beginnings.

“The idea came out of the reaction of the community at a community meeting. Back in the fall, we sponsored a meeting to update our community about the security and safety programs that we are implementing. One of the recommendations was that it would be really nice if the Student Resource Officer could introduce himself to the students. From that, we came up with the idea that it would be nice if he went into each one of the schools and met with kids in small groups, introduced himself and talked a little about security and safety, and we followed through with it,” Boroff said.

Revere’s Student Resource Officer (SRO) Eric Shaffer will speak to the students at the presentations. He explained the purpose of the program.

“I want it to be another way for the students to get to know me. By doing this, I [will] have met every single student in the district. They know who I am and they’ve seen my face. I explain to them who I am and why I’m here. It was always going to be me giving the presentations, and it was basically for that purpose. It’s nice for them to be able to see who I am and what I’m about,” Shaffer said.

While the general messages conveyed will remain similar throughout the district, each school’s presentation will contain age-appropriate information and discussion regarding school safety and security. The district has also implemented new safety features such as updated identification badges and classroom-standard emergency bags. Shaffer spoke of the information shared at the different assemblies.

“The beginning of it is basically an introduction of myself. I explain what my position is here. I explain what my overall priorities are: my number one priority is student and staff safety. [I] then go and explain different emergencies and why we do tornado, fire and lockdown drills. Then I explain a lot of new things that we’re implementing as a district… My main focus for the younger of the two elementary schools was staying calm and quiet and listening to teachers. When we get to the middle and high schools, it’s still going to be the same general concept, but I can go into more detail because kids are a little older and a little bit better at making decisions that could help in an emergency… I [also] explain how much we need to know who is in our buildings, and how to identify them. I explained to them what they should do if you see someone you don’t recognize and they’re not wearing one of those identification [or visitor’s] badges… You’re not to go to them for any reason, and you need to say something to an adult,” Shaffer said.

Shaffer also voiced the program’s main goal.

“Right now, we’re trying to change the culture for safety. We are in the unfortunate time in this world and in this country that [police officers] like me have to be in the schools. We really have to start thinking about safety because of the events that have occurred throughout the nation. Basically, we’re [trying to] change that culture of ‘oh, it can’t happen at Revere.’ That’s what we’re trying to do; we don’t want it to happen here. That’s why we have to take these extra steps; sometimes they may be inconvenient, but it’s all [about] trying to be safe. Lately, our motto has been that if you see something, you have to say something. That goes for anything, even outside of school; if you see something suspicious in society, you’ve got to tell somebody. You can’t just let it go,” Shaffer said.

So far, Shaffer has conducted presentations at two of the four schools in the district, Hillcrest and Bath Elementary Schools. Boroff spoke of how the program has been received so far.

“It’s been very well received. We’ve gotten very good feedback from the parents at Hillcrest. The students went home and told their parents about what had happened, and it didn’t cause children to be frightened, so we got very good feedback. Also, the kids like meeting the police officer. It’s really cool [for them], and it gives [Shaffer] the opportunity to meet students at a different level,” Boroff said.

The first presentations took place at Hillcrest Elementary School, involving both the staff and the student body in groups of four to five classes at a time. Hillcrest principal Katie Kowza shared her opinion of the significance of these presentations.

“It is very important for our students to know what to do in different types of emergencies, and it was a great opportunity for them to hear a consistent message from Officer Shaffer,” Kowza said.

In addition to the education of the student body, Shaffer has also conducted meetings with other staff members, including secretaries, custodians and bus drivers regarding school safety and security. Boroff explained what students should take away from these presentations.

“We have about three thousand sets of eyes and ears on campus…there’s no better security than those eyes and ears being aware of what’s happening. If somebody hears something, they need to report it. If somebody sees something, they need to report it. I think the best way to keep our campus safe and secure is that everyone needs to be aware, and everybody needs to be concerned about everybody else’s safety…We’re very proud of the program, and really pleased with Officer Shaffer’s contribution so far, and his willingness to really embrace the community and be involved in the school activities,” Boroff said.

Shaffer presented at Hillcrest Elementary School on February 20 and 21, and at Bath Elementary School on March 7. He hopes to bring the program to the middle school before spring break, and to the high school in the days following the student’s return from break.