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School safety comes in many forms, starting with teachers, administrators and staff, who foster a caring school community that values respect and trust between adults and students.

This year, Tacoma Public Schools added two new campus support specialists to its team to reinforce the idea that where relationships are strong, safety follows.

“Our campus support specialists focus on getting to know our students, building relationships and addressing issues on a one-to-one basis to prevent future challenges,” said Robert Veliz, assistant director of Safety and Security for TPS. “They will bridge the gap between law enforcement and our own behavioral support staff by offering students an opportunity to speak with an adult and establishing relationships that can act as a preventive measure.”

Campus support specialists are not stationed at a single location, but flexible and available to respond to any TPS campus.

Since the start of the school year, new support specialist Ron Howell has spent many hours at Wainwright Intermediate, getting to know students and staff.

“Ron’s personality is magnetic,” said Wainwright principal Donna Basil. “He has a special way of connecting with young people. In his short time with us, he has shown an extraordinary ability to listen, understand, respond and relate to our Wainwright students. We are excited to see him continue building positive relationships with students and staff.”

Specialist Jarae Cheatham, affectionately called “Mr. Cheeto” by students, has divided his time at Baker, Giaudrone, Lincoln and Mount Tahoma this fall, getting to know students and offering support.

“Most kids don’t want to fight—they just need guidance to get out of a tough situation,” Cheatham said. “Our role is less authoritarian. We’re on the court playing basketball with students, greeting them as they get off the bus—building trust so if they get into a tough situation, they know they can turn to us for guidance.”

To complement the new positions and focus on building a student-centered approach to school safety, all TPS safety and security staff recently participated in training in awareness and relationship building, identifying warning signs, and the value of intervention in working to prevent behavioral issues in school.

“One phrase shared during our training was ‘learn your learner,’ which means know your student and get to know them well—their interests, their name, their triggers, any emotional trauma that may be facing or have faced along with more,” Howell said. “The more you know about the student, the more equipped you are able to handle the situation.”

Safety improvements at all schools
Building safety in our schools also includes infrastructure like cameras, vestibules, secured doors and restricted building access. Thanks to the continued support of our bonds and levies, TPS is investing in safety improvements in all our schools.

Upgrades to the access control, intercom systems, and intrusion detection systems in other schools will run through spring 2023. All existing entry vestibules will be upgraded, or new ones will be built in the second phase of work. 

Four school patrol officers and 30 campus security officers supplement our school safety plan. TPS patrol officers have the flexibility to respond to needs at schools throughout the day. Additionally, TPS has established a team to quickly deploy to any location as needed, and our partnerships continue to support students.

“We continue to build strong relationships with our local law enforcement partners,” said Mike Rupert, TPS Safety and Security Director. “Through the effective ‘See Something, Say Something’ campaign, we encourage everyone in our community who sees or hears a threat to our schools to call 911 immediately. We are all partners in this work.”