In Aurora Public Schools, we believe that in order to learn and achieve success, students must first feel safe in their environments. In celebration of Safe Schools Week and School Bus Safety Week, observed from Oct. 16 through 20, we would like to highlight the work that we do to maintain safe and inclusive environments for all students.
We take a comprehensive approach to health and safety called APS CARES, which stands for:
- Communication: We utilize multiple channels to communicate with our community and encourage students to report safety concerns.
- Awareness: Our staff members participate in functional drills with first responders and make sure students practice emergency drills.
- Relationships: We maintain strong partnerships with the City of Aurora’s police and fire departments as well as local mental health, social service and crisis organizations.
- Engagement: Our teachers, counselors, psychologists and social workers build trusting relationships with students so they feel comfortable reporting concerns.
- Security: We have a team of highly-trained staff members who work together when a potential threat is identified.
Kevin Childs, Aurora Public Schools’ new Director of Safety and Security, is a former APS student and knows firsthand how important it is to have safe schools. Childs has 14 years of leadership experience in school safety and understands the correlation between safe and secure learning environments and student achievement.
“It is really important to create safe learning environments so that students can thrive academically, socially and emotionally,” said Childs. “That is why I am such a huge advocate of our APS CARES framework.”
In addition to APS CARES, we maintain safe schools by having secure school entrances, security cameras and critical safety systems at every school. We also have two school resource officers (SROs) assigned to each high school and security officers staffed throughout our district. Safe schools also encompass emotional and psychological safety. We are proud to have hired and retained high-quality mental health professionals to support students’ psychological and emotional needs.
Our dedicated team of school bus drivers goes above and beyond to foster positive and safe environments for students riding the bus. Students are encouraged to follow the three R’s: Be Ready, Be Respectful and Be Responsible.
For Aurora Public Schools Bus Driver Tamar Moss, it is important that every student who steps foot on her bus feels safe while being transported to and from school.
“We are not just drivers, we are also mentors, caregivers and protectors,” said Moss. “We are a friendly and familiar face that greets students every day and provides a sense of security and comfort. Being able to make a positive impact on the lives of my students is incredibly important and special to me."