Amelia Earhart Elementary to implement new safety measures

Brad Fisher’s been principal at Amelia Earhart Elementary School for six years and takes safety very seriously. “Every year, we try to do more to keep our students safe,” Fisher said. Currently, parents and random adults can go straight to a classroom during after school pickup hours, but that’s all about to change on October 13th. Earhart, as well as Gerald Ford Elementary are following in the footsteps of George Washington Carver as the first Desert Sands Unified School to implement a program that requires verified identification for every person who steps foot on campus. Fisher asked the questions, “when people are coming on the campus, are they safe? Are they allowed to be around children? Do they meet the requirements to be a volunteer?”

Anyone who now comes on campus will be required to apply to be a volunteer through the DSUSD website. The application consists of a background check, as well as clearing Megan’s Law, the public list of registered sex offenders. DSUSD Director of Security Jeff Kaye said it’s a step in the right direction. “It’s important from a safety aspect to know who’s supposed to be on campus. So if we see someone wearing an ID, we’re pretty sure they’re approved to be there.”

Parents can still wait outside to pick up their kids at the roundabout, but for younger children in kindergarten and first grade, it’s essential for parents like Miguel Hernandez to know who’s around their kids. “Most of the parents that I have spoken with, they’re very supportive,” said Hernandez. “In fact, some of them are waiting just to be cleared to get their ID and be on campus right away.”

The process can take up to 45 days, but as long as it does its job, it’s worth the wait.

“And that’s the thing,” added Fisher. “We want to make sure that when parents aren’t here that the people around them are okay to be around them.”

After all, safety first.