Sense of Community pervades Roseville Joint Union HSD

Students display care and concern students for each other

Roseville, Calif.- As I was bundled up during October’s Friday Night Lights, I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for where our district community is today. Fans, families and students cheering alongside each other made the energy palpable. I was genuinely impressed with the care and concern students demonstrated for each other. I am beyond thankful for the sense of community I have seen blossom this school year, particularly the way we have all rallied around each other to ensure safety and comfort.

As Superintendent and an RJUHSD parent, I am most thankful to be able to send my son to school each morning with the confidence that he will return home safely and more ready for the challenges ahead. That peace of mind has, and always will be, priceless to our parents and families. This is why we are renewing our communication and culture of safety throughout the district.

Here are some safety measures we’re practicing this year:

• Students have and will participate in unannounced safety drills and training (Evacuation, Lockdown and Shelter-in-Place) to better understand the importance of their role in an emergency
• Teachers explain expectations and actions to take during an emergency
• Staff use Catapult, a system to report their location, their individual safety and the safety of their students

We focus on safety through the lens of physical and psychological safety supports and procedures on campus. Through this lens, we have instituted a few new safety procedures and programs, including:

• The “Help Us Stay Safe” button, a link on each school’s homepage that allows anonymous reporting
• In April 2022, we will conduct a drill with the Roseville Police Department to help us better understand response procedures for an active shooter scenario on a campus. This drill will also expand our understanding of the reunification process for students and families
• Opportunities for all staff to be trained on Trauma Informed Practices, Motivational Interviewing and Behavior Threat Assessment
• On October 28, roughly 100 RJUHSD staff members will partner with the Roseville Police Department for Behavior Threat Assessment Training, a training designed to help school communities identify potential safety issues before they happen

Drills are critical because they allow us to improve our response time, so we are more effective and safe! The more we practice and are aware of our surroundings, the safer we will all be. I hope these measures of safety will provide a deeper peace of mind for our staff, students, families and communities – for this, I am beyond thankful.

John Becker, Roseville Joint Union High School District Superintendent