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BOURBON – Superintendent Jeremy Riffle updated the Triton School Board Monday about some of the things the school corporation does to keep students safe.
During June’s meeting, parents and community members addressed the Triton School Board regarding a former teacher and a lawsuit against him and the school corporation.
Monday, Riffle said in response to last month’s meeting and some of the things discussed, as well as feedback from parents, he shared some of the things the school corporation does for student safety and security. He said he thinks the concerns are valid and valuable.
“So, after our conversation last month and after several good conversations with patrons, there were consistent (requests) to simply share what we do and how we can continue to improve as a school corporation as it relates to partnerships and programs to keep our students safe. Our district is committed to safe, supportive schools for students and staff,” he said.
One of the programs Triton has is Handle With Care, he said.
“So if a police officer would go into a house or engage with a student in some way, shape or form,” it is reported to the school corporation the child might be having a difficult day the next day. “They give us zero detail. We don’t want the detail. But we just call that a HWC situation” and give the student a little bit of grace and “make sure they know that they’re loved and cared for when they step into our walls that day. So emotional support, encouragement, flexibility and grace in expectations is something we do with the Handle With Care.”
Four years ago, staff members went through Trust Based Relational Intervention, which is a program that focuses on getting to the root of behavior related to any possible trauma and events students have been through. It’s an education process that has videos and lesson plans, Riffle said.
This year, Triton is moving forward with Craftsman With Character, which was founded by Dave Hataj.
The Craftsman with Character Student Program is a semester‑long workforce readiness experience that combines character‑centered classroom discussion with consistent exposure to real work environments through employer partnerships. Students gain clarity about expectations before they ever enter the workforce, according to the Craftsman With Character website.
Triton has partnered with the Casie Center and the Department of Child Protective Services when it comes to mandatory reporting training and protocols and body safety education.
“So K to 12, we are mandated to talk to our students about threats that their body has and how we tell somebody about that, whether it’s somebody along the line of a virtual concern ...,” Riffle said, adding it’s basically about how students recognize unsafe behaviors and how to seek help in trusted adults.
Triton is also trying to create a culture of prevention and awareness, he said.
The high school has an anonymous reporting system, where students see bullying, have concerns about another student or have concerns themselves and want a meeting but don’t want to be seen in the school office, the student can report those items.
Counselors are available through the Bowen Center for students and staff, he said.
Triton has threat assessment protocols. There is a threat assessment team that identifies concerning behaviors early, evaluate the risk and connect students to support resources before issues escalate. A lot of times that involves the parents, he said. There is a pretty formal checklist they go through.
Triton is also continuing to improve positive school culture through the Positive Behavior Intervention System, leadership councils that were recently created and inclusively welcoming students into the environment, he said.
Staff go through mandated professional development through Crisis Prevention Intervention, which is deescalation strategies, Riffle said.
He said there’s a lot of layers to safety within Triton’s buildings. One of the examples he gave was the visitor management system to know who is in the school buildings and for what purpose. There are also surveillance cameras on campus.
