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Deer Creek
EDMOND, OKLA. - Deer Creek School District faculty and staff begin a new crisis preparedness training program with Practical Preparedness, an organization dedicated to providing education in proven preparedness and safety tactics, on November 17th. Deer Creek Schools is the first public school district in Oklahoma to conduct this training program with their employees.
"As a district, we continually look for ways to increase the safety of our schools to ensure our students can focus on learning in the best possible academic environment,” Deer Creek School District Superintendent Dr. Jason Perez said. “This partnership with Practical Preparedness will allow our teachers and staff the chance to be more prepared in the event of a crisis in our school buildings. We hope our teachers never have to use this training in a real-life scenario, but it is critical they know how to protect themselves and our students with the most up-to-date strategies in the event of an emergency.”
All Deer Creek educators, including support, certified and administration staff, will participate in three sessions designed to educate school personnel with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate an imminent threat and other safety concerns that could arise during the school day. The training includes the creation of updated site-specific emergency response plans, emergency first aid and trauma response training and de-escalation training.
“While I am deeply saddened by the current state of affairs that necessitates this kind of training, I am grateful to work in a district where the administration is proactive to ensure their staff is as prepared as possible should the need arise,” Deer Creek High School Teacher Gena Beeson said.
The partnership with Practical Preparedness is just one of the recent enhancements to school safety in Deer Creek Schools. Since the 2023-2024 school year began, the district implemented the use of weapon detection sensors for home sporting and performing arts events, added SchoolSAFEid systems for secure student check-in and check-out to all school sites and upgraded security monitoring systems at the Performing Arts and Athletics Complex. The Deer Creek Schools Foundation is also partnering with the district to fundraise for safety devices to add additional security to doors that are frequented the most by staff and students.
For more information on Deer Creek School District, visit deercreekschools.org. For more information on Practical Preparedness, visit practicalpreparedness.us. To support the Deer Creek Schools Foundation’s school safety campaign, visit dcsfoundation.org.
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