Dear Parents/Guardians:

Unfortunately, last month, our nation experienced a tragic event in Parkland, Florida. As you are aware, this is not the first event of this nature. We are writing today, on behalf of Warren CUSD 205 and our communities, to inform you that providing a safe learning environment that is conducive for student learning is our top priority at Warren CUSD 205.

Our District has an Emergency Operations Plan, which meets national and state standards to cover all types of incidents from floods to tornadoes and, unfortunately, dangerous intruders. Representatives from our district along with our first-responders within our communities as well as the county meet to review this plan on a regular basis. This information is shared with staff and we perform drills with our student body. These drills are critical as they help identify ways to improve our safety procedures.

Our school is a hub of activity in our community. Beyond normal day-to-day activities within the school day as well as our extracurricular events, we additionally have community organizations use our facilities. We have our fitness center open to community members during the evening and weekend. Ultimately, we optimize the use of our building to serve our communities.

With all of these activities, we need to keep our building safe 24 hours per day every single day. In order to do that, we have improved our facilities. We have purchased and have been installing more security cameras throughout our facility. We have purchased lighting to improve the lighting surrounding the building. Our alarm systems are directly tied to our first responders and we have, additionally, implemented an app-based program to share information among staff members and first responders in any emergency. Our exterior doors require the use of fob keys to ensure our building is locked at all times of the day, and our procedures have adapted to ensure guests enter through our main entrance.

Outside of purchases, we have done many things from a personnel standpoint to ensure our students are as safe as possible. We have continued to build strong relationships with our local responders, which has developed strong lines of communication. We have increased the time of our school social worker to support any social or emotional needs of our students. We, as a staff, have become more aware of trauma and its impact on children to better support these students.

Warren Community Unit School District 205 is an Equal Opportunity Employer who does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, or disability.

Ultimately, we want to assure you that your school district in conjunction with your local police department keep school safety on the top of our lists. We have and will continue to work together to keep Warren CUSD 205 a safe learning environment for your child. We thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we have made updates throughout the years to ensure we have a safe learning environment.

As a major stakeholder of your student’s educational team, we encourage you to talk about safety with your child. Ensure them that this is a safe place, and if they ever have any concerns to seek out a trusted staff member of our school district or police department. We will continue to work as a team to provide the best learning environment for your students. Thank you much for your time, and GO WARRIORS!

Sincerely,

Shawn Teske, Superintendent
Josh Knuth, Principal
Bryan Bohnsack, Warren Chief of Police