GREENSBORO, N.C. — Guilford County School's Acting Superintendent, Dr. Whitney Oakley updated the community Thursday on school security, bus transportation, and teacher shortages among other topics.
"COVID-19 isn't over we know that we have to be ready, but we also know that we need our kids in school and we are ready and prepared to welcome them back," said Oakley.
School Safety
The district is implementing several new security measures in the new school year.
New touchless body scanners are being installed in all GCS high schools and security cameras will be updated with a new video management system. The district did a pilot program with the scanners at High Point Central High School in High Point and Smith High School in Greensboro. Because of the success of the program, they decided to move forward and put 43 scanners in their 19 high schools.
"We will do our best to make sure that (these safety measures) are in place," said Oakley. "We can’t control every incident, what we can do is make sure that we are forming relationships with our students and training on safety protocols."
Students will also be able to report incidents through the CrisisGo app anonymously this fall. The app allows teachers to talk directly with administrative staff during the school day to report any incidents or share information.
GCS officials said they haven't seen a lot of guns or violence in their schools but they want to take precautions.
"We are doing this proactively," said Mike Richey, the GCS Executive Director of Emergency Management.
In light of the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting, some have questioned whether elementary schools should have school resource officers. GCS said it's not the solution.
"We know that the training at the elementary school level and the new buildings that will have vestibules and things of that nature is the best route we can go with elementary schools," said Oakley. "Having a police presence in elementary schools there’s just not data to support that that’s effective."
Bus Transportation
Dr. Oakley said the district has 53 bus driver vacancies out of 405 positions. She said it's a better situation compared to Spring 2022 when the GCS city high school students had to ride public transportation.
The district is still offering a $1000 monthly bonus for drivers who have perfect attendance.
GCS students will still be able to ride Greensboro and High Point city buses for free.
"It's important to keep in mind that some of our bus drivers will still be running double routes," Oakley said. "The partnership with the Greensboro and High Point transit authorities is an option. It's an option for students if they want to use that. Many students found that to be an efficient way to but it is just that, an option."
The district said they are in the process of finalizing bus routes.
"Parents may see a change in their bus route or the stop," said Michelle Reed, the Chief Operations Officer for GCS. "We are trying to enhance our optimization by (having) community stops so there may be a little bit (of a) longer walk, a couple of doors down to create that community stop."
Teacher Staffing
The district has hired nearly 200 teachers since June 28, according to Dr. Oakley. GCS currently has 37 teacher vacancies but Oakley said they're proud of that number compared with districts around the country.
"It's important to remember that we’ve been through this right? I think during the (COVID-19) Omicron period, we had to leverage our licensed staff," said Oakley. "We have substitutes, retirees, and other licensed central office staff who are ready to stand in if needed as we start the school year."
GCS is offering a $10,000 sign-on bonus for certain positions as well.