Putnam City Schools

At the end of each day, what parents want most is for their children to come home safely. Putnam City has in place many programs to help students stay safe. Here’s information on just a few of those efforts:

Secure Access Entrances
In early 2007 the district completed the creation of secure entrances to every school. A secure access entrance means that every person who comes to a school must enter the office to be greeted and screened by office personnel.

The first and most common type of secure access entrance means that visitors to the school may enter only the front door of the school and then are funneled by the structure of the school directly into the school office. At a few schools, a secure entrance means the front door to the school is locked and visitors must push a buzzer to ask for admittance.

In the next few years the district will complete construction so that every building will have the first type of secure access entrance.

Police Officers and Security Officers in Schools
Putnam City is one of the few school districts in the state to have its own police force. By having our own police force, we have officers dedicated to the same philosophies, values and mission of our educators. These police officers are in our schools for the same reason teachers and principals are: to help children and youth.

The Campus Police Department has in place emergency response plans for use in situations at any of our 27 schools. The plans are adaptable for several types of situations, including terrorism. Several Campus Police officers have attended "Technical Emergency Response Training" put on by the Department of Homeland Security.

Should any school be faced with a major emergency, it won’t be just Campus Police officers that respond. Putnam City has schools in Oklahoma City, Bethany and Warr Acres, and Campus Police work closely with the police in each municipality.

During the school day, the district stations one Campus Police officer in each of our three high schools. In addition, two Campus Police officers are on patrol and available to respond to needs throughout the district.

A security guard is at each high school all day long, too, for the most part providing a security presence in school parking lots. All five middle schools also have security guards in their buildings each school day.

Security Cameras
Putnam City’s 27 schools have a total of more than 750 security cameras. At each school a monitor is available so that school staff can, when necessary, look at the view from any camera in the building to determine if there is a disturbance or concern. If an intruder is in a building, they may be tracked on cameras until they can be confronted. Video may be later searched to determine how they got into the building so that any security gaps can be closed. Cameras have also been used to find out who was responsible for theft or vandalism. All camera views in every school can also be called up in our Campus Police station.

Secret Witness Hotline
The district's "secret witness hotline" is in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for any student or parent to call and report any criminal activity, violation of school policy or other incident that occurred or might occur on campus. The information obtained from the hotline is used by Campus Police and school administrators to help keep students and staff safe. The number for the secret witness hotline is
(405) 787-1919.

It’s also possible to text the secret witness hotline at secretwitness@putnamcityschools.org, or submit information online at www.putnamcityschools.org/secretwitness

Bullying Prevention Curriculum
People think of violence prevention as being something that should be done in middle schools and high schools. The truth is, it should start at the earliest level, and in Putnam City Schools, it does.

In elementary schools, counselors use bullying prevention curriculum to teach students. Teachers receive training on how to recognize and deal with bullying. Some schools have students sign pledges not to bully. When bullying behavior is reduced, more students are ready to learn and there is less chance of students becoming alienated and angry.

Bullying prevention education also goes to parents. In October 2011 the district invited all elementary and middle school parents to a bullying prevention program. Links to PowerPoint presentations are below.

General Session
Elementary Bullying Prevention Session
Middle School Bullying Prevention Session
Cyberbullying Session

Advisory Periods
Research confirms that in smaller learning communities, students feel less alienated, more nurtured and more connected to caring adults, and teachers feel that they have more opportunity to get to know and support their students. In Putnam City secondary schools, smaller learning communities exist in the form of regular advisory periods in which students meet in small groups with teachers. The concept is the same, whether in high school or middle school. Students spend time with an adult who knows and cares about them.

SNAP Boxes
Bright red SNAP boxes are being mounted on walls in several places in each school. SNAP stands for “Student Needs Assistance Pronto.” Students who have concerns about bullying, drugs, weapons or any other issue that endangers themselves or fellow students may put a note into the SNAP box. The notes don’t have to be signed, so students who wish to can remain anonymous. School staff will check the SNAP box at least once a day.

Lockdown Drills
Students in all Putnam City schools practice lockdown drills twice a year. A lockdown means teachers doublecheck to make sure classroom doors are locked, classroom lights are turned off and students move to an area of the room where they cannot be seen from classroom windows. When conditions warrant, the principal can use the school intercom to ask all classrooms to go into lockdown mode.

Parental Role
The number one thing parents can do to help keep student safe in school is to stress again and again to their children the need to always share safety concerns and rumors with teachers and principals. Situations can’t be investigated and resolved unless school administrators know about them.