School Safety and Climate Survey 2023
Dr. Adam Tobias
Board of Trustees President
ecsboard@ecspgh.org
Dear ECS Families,
The safety and security of our students and staff are of the utmost importance to our school administration and community. Over the last several weeks, ECS has provided information about its district-wide safety protocols through an email sent on Sept. 5 from Dr. Cribbs, a safety meeting hosted during the Sept. 6 PCO Meeting, and two safety presentations to the ECS Board of Trustees. The district is dedicated to continually and regularly bringing awareness to its safety procedures through a variety of channels, including future safety events to ensure educational opportunities are provided for parents/guardians.
Although recent school and community events have sparked an uptick in safety conversations, security has long been a topic of conversation between the board and the administration. ECS continues to make decisions based on evidence-based research, best practices, and expert advice from local and national agencies, and I have seen that ECS is dedicated to providing appropriate security resources, plans, and protocols. With that said, Dr. Cribbs’ Sept. 5 Safety Protocols Communication explained some of the measures the district takes to ensure safety and security on a daily basis at all campuses. Various safety procedures exist at ECS including but not limited to the district’s utilization of the state system, Safe to Say, the district’s adoption of the “I Love U Guys'' Foundation's Standard Response Protocol, and the creation of a comprehensive emergency operations plan.
In connection with Dr. Cribbs’ communication and as a part of the district’s ongoing efforts to provide quality safety and security measures, I highly encourage you, our parents and guardians, to participate in the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s School Climate Survey. By clicking the link below, you are able to select the Environmental Charter School at Frick Park, and anonymously respond to the state’s questions.
Take the School Climate Survey
Please complete the above survey by Tuesday, Oct. 24. School climate directly correlates with a building’s security as it not only focuses on the community’s physical, social, and emotional safety but also how those attributes shape a student’s learning and development.
As the district seeks additional funds for security purposes, this survey, in combination with the district’s regularly scheduled risk and vulnerability assessments conducted by the PA State Police Department and Homeland Security using its revised Physical Security Baseline Criteria (2023) and the South Western PA Regional Threat Assessment Hub Partnership, will help determine where ECS invests in safety infrastructure, training, and prevention through the 2023-2024 school year.
Be on the lookout for more information regarding future safety events as security is a ceaseless initiative at ECS. Thank you for your participation and your continued support of ECS.
On behalf of the board,
Adam Tobias, MD
President
Environmental Charter School Board of Trustees