The Washoe County School Board met on Tuesday to discuss many things, but the main topic was school safety.
Trustees looked at the Student Behavior Manual for the upcoming school year, discussed possible policies on arresting students, and the public indicated they want more oversight for students. But the main item on the agenda was a proposal for a panic alert system for schools.
The Washoe County School Board voted 7-0 to approve the panic alarm system. This means schoolteachers and staff will be able to wear badges that can instantly send out calls for assistance in a crisis.
The board made it clear they believe it's time to give power back to the teachers and give them the right tools that can prevent staff from becoming victims.
One of the Trustees said, "It's very important to empower our teachers. It's not comfortable to feel like a victim. It's very stressful, it's exhausting, and this could be a tool to maybe give some power back to the teachers where they feel they have some control and that they're not susceptible to being a victim."
Many public commenters were also on board with this decision and believe that the next big topic should be student discipline.
With the approval of the panic alert system, the Washoe County School District will have a yearly subscription service costing $4.5 million over the course of five years.
