Recommendations to Enhance the Delivery of School Police, Safety, and Security Services for the School District of Palm Beach County By the Council of the Great City Schools April 2018 Dr. Donald E. Fennoy II, Superintendent of the School District of Palm Beach County (Florida), requested that the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) 1 provide recommendations to enhance the delivery of school police, safety, and security services to the Palm Beach County school community. The Council was also asked to identify opportunities for the district to achieve greater school safety and security-related operational efficiencies, and improve internal communications that would increase the effectiveness of the district’s ability to meet the school board’s strategic mission and promote a safe and secure learning environment. This management letter includes relevant background information, recognizes achievements the district and the police department have made in school security and safety, and compares school safety and security performance metrics of the School District of Palm Beach County (SDPBC) with peer urban districts both nationally and within the State of Florida. The letter concludes with a series of recommendations the Council is confident will augment the district’s efforts to promote and preserve safe educational environments. 1 The Council has conducted over 300 instructional, management, and operational reviews in over 50 big city school districts over the last 20 years. The reports generated by these reviews are often critical, but they also have been the foundation for improving the operations, organization, instruction, and management of many urban school systems nationally. In other cases, the reports are complimentary and form the basis for identifying “best practices” for other urban school systems to replicate. TABLE OF CONTENTS School District of Palm Beach County .................................................................................. 3 Exhibit 1. Palm Beach Schools Membership History and Projections ............................................. 3 Exhibit 2. Office of the Superintendent Organizational Chart – SY 2017-2018 .............................. 5 Exhibit 3. Chief Operating Officer’s Organizational Chart .............................................................. 5 Palm Beach County School District Police Department ................................................. 5 Exhibit 4. School District of Palm Beach Police Department Organizational Chart ........................ 6 Exhibit 5. Police Department Budget Data ....................................................................................... 6 Achievements and Commendations ....................................................................................... 7 Exhibit 6. SDPBC Juvenile Referrals to the Office of the State Attorney........................................ 9 Exhibit 7. School Effectiveness Questionnaire Percent Positive Response by Item ........................ 9 Performance Metrics and Comparisons ............................................................................. 10 Exhibit 8. Florida School Environmental Safety Incident Report .................................................. 10 Exhibit 9. Safety and Security Expenditures Percent of District Budget........................................ 11 Exhibit 10. Safety and Security Expenditures per Student ............................................................. 11 Exhibit 11. Safety and Security Staff per 1,000 Students ............................................................... 11 Exhibit 12. Incidents - Assault/Battery Incidents per 1,000 Students ............................................ 12 Exhibit 13. Incidents - Bullying/Harassment per 1,000 Students ................................................... 12 Exhibit 14. Training Hours per Safety/Security Personnel ............................................................. 12 Exhibit 15. Intrusion/Burglary Alarm Systems - Percent of Sites .................................................. 13 Exhibit 16. Intrusion/Burglary Incidents per Site ........................................................................... 13 Exhibit 17. Health/Safety Inspections – Percent of Academic Cites Inspected Annually .............. 13 Exhibit 18. Health and Safety Violations per Site .......................................................................... 14 Exhibit 19. Various CGCS Safety and Security KPI’s with State and National Medians .............. 14 Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 15 Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 2 School District of Palm Beach County The School District of Palm Beach County is the 11th largest school district in the country with a diverse student enrollment of more than 193,000 students who speak some 145 languages and dialects. 2 Palm Beach County covers an area of 2,383 square miles (1970 square miles of land and 413 square miles of water). 3 The district operates 180 schools and is the largest employer in Palm Beach County with over 23,000 employees who are supported by over 44,000 volunteers. Exhibit 1 below displays six years of student enrollment trends and a projected upward membership thru FY22. Exhibit 1. Palm Beach Schools Membership History and Projections Enrollment Membership History and Projected Membership 177,815 181,205 184,517 187,475 190,240 193,229 196,220 198,970 201,854 205,086 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020 2020-2021 2021-2022 Source: School District of Palm Beach County The School District of Palm Beach County is governed by a School Board consisting of seven members who are all elected from individual districts. The School Board of Palm Beach County appoints the Superintendent of Schools, who is responsible to the board for the effective operation of the school system. The SDPBC mission states: The School District of Palm Beach County is committed to providing a world-class education with excellence and equity to empower each student to reach his or her highest potential with the most effective staff to foster the knowledge, skills, and ethics required for responsible citizenship and productive careers. In addition to all appropriate federal and state statutes, the district also operates under an agreement (the Agreement) with the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice. 4 The Agreement, which became effective in February 2013 and was extended through the 2 Source: School District of Palm Beach County Source: United States Census Bureau 4 The Agreement is referenced solely to identify requirements that impact the school police department and its personnel. The full Agreement can be found at: 3 Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 3 2017-2018 school year, establishes or describes, in pertinent part, (1) clear guidelines for when law enforcement intervention is appropriate; (2) that school police personnel shall continue to contribute positively to their school communities; (3) that school police personnel communicate with students in a language students understand, including by securing an interpreter when appropriate; and (4) that the district shall ensure that all members of the school police department receive training on (a) culturally and linguistically responsive policing; (b) bias-free policing, including implicit racial bias and cultural competence; (c) working with youth, including deescalation techniques, conflict resolution, and child/adolescent development; (d) mentoring and counseling; (e) the consequences of student involvement in the criminal and juvenile justice systems; and (f) working collaboratively with school administrators. SB 7026, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) Safety Act, signed by the Governor on March 9, 2018, added other requirements and funding for school districts (and charters) to establish or expand district emergency management and school safety preparedness and procedures. This legislation also created a mental health assistance allocation to assist school districts in establishing comprehensive mental health programs and connecting students and families with appropriate services. Under the Governor’s 2018-19 budget, the SDPBC will receive $5.5 million for school safety and $3.9 million for mental health initiatives. A key component of SB 7026 involved a requirement that districts partner with law enforcement agencies to establish or assign one or more safe school officers to each school facility at the start of the 2018-19 school year. To meet this requirement, a district may utilize any combination of allowable options that have been approved by the school board and superintendent. Although it has not been determined if this funding is one-time or ongoing, the SDPBC is moving forward in complying with the legislation. The district is considering a hybrid approach by partnering with local law enforcement agencies and hiring, as district employees, highly-qualified officers with the goal of ultimately filling all 75 new positions with district-employed police officers. In addition to carrying out these activities, the Superintendent is responsible for the efficient management of the district’s resources. The SDPBC 2017-2018 approved an operating budget that exceeds $2.934 billion. 5 Exhibit 2 below displays the organization of the Office of the Superintendent and his five direct reports. https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2013/04/21/palmbeachagreement.pdf and the extended Agreement can be found at: https://www.justice.gov/crt/case-document/palm-beach-county-settlement-agreementextension-letter. 5 Source: SDPBC 2017-2018 Budget, available at: https://www.palmbeachschools.org/budget/wpcontent/uploads/sites/49/2016/07/FY18-Budget-All-Funds4_1011WEB.pdf. This recommended budget was adopted on September 6, 2017. Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 4 Exhibit 2. Office of the Superintendent Organizational Chart – SY 2017-18 School District of Palm Beach County Effective 03-20-18 - Students, Parents & Community of Palm Beach County Board Advisory Committees Audit Academic (AAC) Budget Construction (CORC) Diversity & Equity Finance Independent Referendum Oversite Committee (IROC) Sales Tax Oversite (ISSOC) Technoloty (TAC) General Counsel School Board Inspector General Superintendent of Schools Chief of Staff Deputy Superintendent/ Chief of Schools Chief Human Resources Chief Financial Office Chief Operating Office Source: CGCS from Data Provided by the School District of Palm Beach County The Chief Operating Officer, who is a direct report to the Superintendent, has oversight responsibilities for School Police, Facilities Management, Compliance and Special Projects, Transportation Services, and School Food Service. The Chief Operating Officer’s organizational functional departments are shown below in Exhibit 3. Exhibit 3. Chief Operating Officer’s Organizational Chart Chief Operating Officer School Police Facilities Management Compliance & Special Projects Transportation Services School Food Service Source: CGCS from Data Provided by the School District of Palm Beach County Palm Beach County School District Police Department The Director of School Police (commonly known as the Chief of School Police) leads the Palm Beach County School District Police Department, which is staffed by 162 sworn personnel and 91 civilian employees. The following positions and functional areas report to the Director of School Police: one Assistant Chief, two detectives, and one confidential Administrative Assistant II. Exhibit 4 below presents a functional overview of the department’s organizational structure. Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 5 Exhibit 4. School District of Palm Beach Police Department Organizational Chart The School District of Palm Beach County, FL School Police – 9004 Position Summary FY 2018 Detectives (2) Internal Affairs Accrediation Admin. Assistant Confidential II Chief School Police Assistant Chief Support Services Major 0.5 Operations Major Central Services Major 0.5 Funding FTE Summary GF 235.5 FTE CMT 21.5 FTE Total 257.0 FTE Revised 03/14/18 Source: CGCS from Data Provided by the School District of Palm Beach County The Director of School Police is responsible for the department’s budget. The FY18 department budget is $21,110,772, which is 0.72 percent of the district’s general budget. Exhibit 5 below shows the police department’s actual budget and expense summaries for the past two fiscal years, and it compares the FY17 budget to the FY18 budget. The data indicate that the department went over budget, or was underfunded, in salary and benefit accounts the previous two fiscal years. Exhibit 5. Police Department Budget Data Budget Actual Budget Actual Budget Description FY 2016 FY2016 FY 2017 FY 2017 FY 2018 Wages and Salaries $12,333,417 $13,450,392 $13,044,025 $13,582,726 $13,579,626 $535,602 4.11% Emplooyee Benefits 4,058,681 5,188,335 4,340,464 5,610,521 4,500,812 160,348 3.69% Other Expenditures 2,990,476 2,082,901 3,055,270 1,955,757 3,030,334 (24,936) -0.82% TOTAL Difference FY 17 vs. FY18 % Chg $19,382,574 $20,721,628 $20,439,758 $21,149,004 $21,110,772 Source: Data Provided by the School District of Palm Beach County The department was established in 1972 as the Palm Beach County School District Security Department when the School Board of Palm Beach County approved the use of sworn police officers to conduct law enforcement activities on school district property. In 1981, the department was renamed the Palm Beach County School District Police Department. The department currently enjoys accreditation from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, Inc. As Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 6 the district’s individual schools are in several cities throughout the county, the department interfaces with nearly 40 incorporated municipalities and their police departments, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office for schools located in unincorporated or sheriff-contracted areas. Today, over 100 police officers are assigned to schools throughout the district. School site officers are responsible for campus patrol, initial case investigations, follow-up, and when necessary, making arrests. Additionally, school site officers provide classroom presentations, counsel students and parents, mentor students, and serve as positive role models to help promote productive relationships between youth and law enforcement. The department also operates a 24 hour/7 day per week dispatch/communications center, a detective division, a traffic unit, a canine unit, a youth diversion court unit, a training unit, a security systems department, 6 a credentialing center for fingerprinting, identification issuance (ID/access badges), and background vetting of all district employees and vendors. Achievements and Commendations • The planned upgrade of the Director of School Police position to an executive-level position with commensurate salary is evidence that the district’s senior management recognizes the value and importance of moving the department forward, both strategically and collaboratively. 7 • The district has made several recent investments in order to create safer conditions in its schools, including the following initiatives-o Installing GPS technology on all buses, so the location of buses is always known, o All district vehicles parked in securely fenced enclosures, o High visibility and presence of school staff in student loading and unloading areas, o All district school and office sites equipped with intrusion alarms and monitoring systems, o A telephone application for students and parents that will instantly alert law enforcement about threats to students and schools, and - Transmit GPS location of the sender, 6 Systems include the district’s intrusion alarm systems, radio/communications systems, surveillance camera systems and monitoring, access control cards, and other emergency backup systems. 7 The district created a higher-level position, Chief – School Police and District Security, to lead the department. The job description for the new position states, in part, The Chief of School Police and District Security provides executivelevel leadership, strategic planning, and administrative direction for the District’s police, law enforcement, safety, and security functions. Position is a proactive, visible leader in fostering collaborative working relationships with citizen groups, law enforcement agencies, public safety organizations, and community stakeholders in developing and implementing programs to address law enforcement, safety, and security goals and objectives for students and staff in a supportive teaching and learning environment. Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 7 •  Transmit a description of the event, photos, and videos, and  Provide an alert button to allow students, parents, faculty, and administrators to call law enforcement. The department has been proactive in developing instructional guides and implementing and delivering specialized school safety-related training and exercises, including -o National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) training, o Active-shooter training, o Critical-incident training specifically for school site administrators, and o Critical-incident and emergency training for district employees. • The department has been actively engaged in -o Annual site vulnerability assessments, o Single point of entry ingress initiatives, 8 o Implementation of automated visitor management systems that require identification for verification purposes and cross-references to visitor identification with predator databases throughout the county, o Participation in mutual aid agreements with multiple local municipalities, o Producing and developing safety and security training videos for students, staff, and officers, o Juvenile diversion programs that had positive outcomes, such as Youth Court, Aspiring Lawyers Program, and Juvenile Arbitration, and o Reducing the number of referrals to the Office of the State Attorney. Exhibit 6 below illustrates the decline in the number of juvenile referrals for felony and misdemeanor offenses, excluding misdemeanor traffic offenses, to the 15th Judicial Circuit of the Office of the State Attorney. 8 Not all schools have been converted to single point of entry ingress. Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 8 Exhibit 6. SDPBC Juvenile Referrals to the Office of the State Attorney Source: School District of Palm Beach County Police Department • As required, the district utilizes an annual school learning environment survey. Exhibit 7 below highlights several survey response items from students and parents, and it compares percentages for the past three years. Exhibit 7. School Effectiveness Questionnaire Percent Positive Response by Item 2017 2016 2015 Student Survey Items I feel safe at school. 86.5 86.3 87.8 I have had problems this year with students at school.* 59.3 59.3 58.8 I have had problems traveling between home and school.* 75.5 74.8 76.0 Problems with dangerous student behavior are quickly resolved 76.5 77.2 77.7 at this school. Students at this school are often threatened or bullied 57.0 57.4 56.6 Parent Survey Items I feel that my child is safe at school. 95.5 95.8 96.1 My child at this school is often teased or picked on.* 79.4 78.6 79.3 My child at this school is often threatened or bullied.* 84.5 83.8 84.6 My child has problems traveling between home and school.* 83.2 81.1 82.1 Problems with dangerous student behavior are quickly resolved 92.9 92.8 93.4 at this school. This school effectively addresses incidents where teasing 90.4 90.3 90.6 and/or bullying may have occurred. *The percent positive response is a contrary indicator and represents the student's or parent’s perception where issues are NOT a problem. Source: School District of Palm Beach County Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 9 Performance Metrics and Comparisons This portion of the management letter shows safety, security, and other metric comparisons that are commonly used to determine a school district’s relative performance in the areas of school safety and security. 9 For example -• Exhibit 8 below displays school incident reporting for the past four school years, converted into incidents per 1,000 students 10 as reported to the Florida Department of Education. 11 For this exhibit, “State Average” represents the average--per 1,000 students--of all school district reported incidents in the State of Florida. Exhibit 8. Florida School Environmental Safety Incident Report Florida School Environmental Safety Incident Report 2013-14 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 Total Reported Total Reported Total Reported Total Reported Incidents per Incidents per Incidents per Incidents per District Name 1,000 Students 1,000 Students 1,000 Students 1,000 Students Broward 22.50 22.87 24.29 22.34 Miami-Dade 30.93 25.18 9.48 11.43 Duval 36.10 89.76 100.38 93.33 Hillsborough 16.96 21.19 35.26 35.94 Orange 22.99 23.93 24.78 20.26 Palm Beach 29.95 27.69 25.18 23.35 State Average 24.55 26.41 25.92 24.37 Source: Florida Department of Education • Exhibits 9 and 10 below (and others to follow) compare SDPBC with other CGCS Florida districts on four-year trends. The Key Performance Indicators (KPI) 12,13 provide data on the level of support for safety and security operations as a percent of the district’s general operating budget and staffing expenditures per student. 14 9 CGCS must rely on the accuracy and consistency of the data reported by school districts when making comparisons. The data has been “normalized” to incidents per 1,000 students to adjust for differences in enrollment. 11 Source: http://www.fldoe.org/schools/safe-healthy-schools/discipline-data.stml 12 The Council’s Managing for Results is a performance measurement and benchmarking project that identifies performance measures, key indicators, and best practices that can guide the improvement of non-instructional operations in urban school districts across the nation. 13 Source: 2015-2016 CGCS KPI Report. These are the latest data available, as the 2016-2017 will not become available until October 2018. 14 This measure is calculated by dividing the department budget by total student membership enrollment. 10 Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 10 Exhibit 9. Safety and Security Expenditures Percent of District Budget Safety and Security Expenditures Percent of District Budget 2012-13 2013-14 2014-2015 2015-16 District Broward 0.895% 0.262% N/A N/A 0.571% 0.467% 0.428% 0.499% Duval Hillsborough 0.563% 0.516% N/A 0.853% Miami-Dade N/A 0.884% N/A 0.706% Orange County 0.390% 0.329% 0.367% 0.391% Palm Beach 0.738% 0.770% 0.760% 0.899% Source: Council of the Great City Schools Key Performance Indicator Project Exhibit 10. Safety and Security Expenditures per Student Safety and Security Expenditures per Student District 2012-13 2013-14 2014-2015 Broward $63.39 $18.75 N/A Duval $37.19 $37.11 $42.09 Hillsborough $59.75 $48.83 N/A Miami-Dade N/A $70.57 N/A Orange $29.70 $26.90 $34.08 Palm Beach $56.08 $59.48 $58.81 2015-16 N/A $49.58 $81.01 $54.40 $34.25 $107.24 Source: Council of the Great City Schools Key Performance Indicator Project • Exhibit 11 below provides another comparison of the level of support for safety and security operations by measuring safety and security staffing levels per 1,000 students. 15 Exhibit 11. Safety and Security Staff per 1,000 Students Safety and Security Staff per 1,000 Students District 2012-13 2013-14 2014-2015 0.865 0.795 Broward 0.752 0.676 0.689 0.687 Duval Hillsborough 0.943 1.058 N/A Miami-Dade N/A 0.545 N/A Orange 1.056 0.766 0.823 Palm Beach 1.040 1.073 1.255 2015-16 N/A 0.690 1.164 3.246 0.761 1.330 Source: Council of the Great City Schools Key Performance Indicator Project 15 This measure is calculated by dividing the total safety and security staff by total student membership enrollment over 1,000. Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 11 • Exhibits 12 and 13 below compare assault/battery and bullying/harassment incidents per 1,000 students. These indicators measure the density of events reported, per district, by school year. 16 Exhibit 12. Incidents - Assault/Battery Incidents per 1,000 Students Incidents - Assault/Battery Incidents per 1,000 Students District 2012-13 2014-2015 2015-16 2013-14 Broward 2.051 2.956 3.041 N/A Duval 2.237 1.385 3.387 1.889 Hillsborough 0.474 8.738 N/A 9.312 Miami-Dade N/A 1.725 N/A 2.012 Orange 17.745 15.717 21.550 21.044 Palm Beach 5.011 5.071 4.310 3.405 Source: Council of the Great City Schools Key Performance Indicator Project Exhibit 13. Incidents - Bullying/Harassment per 1,000 Students Incidents - Bullying/Harassment per 1,000 Students 2015-16 District 2012-13 2013-14 2014-2015 Broward 0.886 N/A N/A N/A Duval N/A 2.841 2.427 1.269 Hillsborough 2.648 1.688 N/A 2.121 N/A N/A Miami-Dade 1.436 1.405 Orange 0.009 1.505 1.535 1.026 Palm Beach 0.019 2.947 1.433 0.510 Source: Council of the Great City Schools Key Performance Indicator Project • Exhibit 14 below compares training hours and safety-related drills per safety and security personnel. 17,18 Exhibit 14. Training Hours per Safety/Security Personnel Training Hours per Safety/Security Personnel District 2012-13 2013-14 2014-2015 Broward 0.230 N/A 1.532 Duval 0.615 28.849 N/A Hillsborough 43.095 70.878 N/A Miami-Dade N/A 8.125 N/A Orange 21.000 13.411 37.482 Palm Beach 33.533 106.250 84.772 2015-16 N/A 16.250 63.114 19.383 67.977 170.596 Source: Council of the Great City Schools Key Performance Indicator Project 16 These measures are calculated by total number of incidents divided by total student membership enrollment over 1,000. 17 This measure is calculated by the total number of hours of safety-related drills and trainings for all safety and security personnel divided by total number of safety and security personnel. 18 The Council is not confident that all districts included all safety, security, or police aides in their total number of safety and security personnel. Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 12 • Exhibit 15 below compares the percentage of district sites that have intrusion/burglary intrusion alarms installed to safeguard district assets. 19 Exhibit 15. Intrusion/Burglary Alarm Systems - Percent of Sites Intrusion/Burglary Alarm Systems - Percent of Sites District 2012-13 2013-14 2014-2015 2015-16 Broward 74.50% 74.29% N/A N/A Duval N/A 86.27% 86.27% 83.82% Hillsborough 86.22% 87.06% N/A 87.06% Miami-Dade N/A 100% 100% N/A Orange 88.57% 99.55% 99.06% 98.17% Palm Beach 100% 100% 100% N/A Source: Council of the Great City Schools Key Performance Indicator Project • Exhibit 16 below compares the density of incidents, by district, adjusted for the size of the district, by number of sites. 20 Exhibit 16. Intrusion/Burglary Incidents per Site Intrusion/Burglary Incidents per Site District 2012-13 2013-14 2014-2015 1.692 1.934 Broward N/A 0.553 24.789 0.314 Duval Hillsborough 4.930 0.078 N/A Miami-Dade N/A 0.408 N/A Orange 0.196 0.105 0.188 Palm Beach 0.397 0.265 0.257 Source: Council of the Great City Schools Key Performance Indicator Project • 2015-16 N/A 7.206 0.087 0.429 0.187 N/A Exhibits 17 and 18 below compare the percent of academic sites inspected for health and safety violations, 21 and the number of health and safety violations identified during the inspection. These inspections are essential for compliance and risk mitigation. 22 Exhibit 17. Health/Safety Inspections – Percent of Academic Cites Inspected Annually Health/Safety Inspections - % of Academic Cites Inspected Annually District 2012-13 2013-14 2014-2015 2015-16 Broward N/A 76.26% 100% N/A Duval 96.91% 87.18% 87.18% 87.18% Hillsborough N/A 86.73% N/A 90.48% Miami-Dade 100% 100% N/A 100% Orange 100% 100% 100% 100% Palm Beach 98.92% 87.58% 100% 98.93% Source: Council of the Great City Schools Key Performance Indicator Project 19 The percentage is calculated as the total number of sites with intrusion/burglary alarm systems divided by the total number of district sites. 20 The measure is calculated as the total number of intrusion/burglary incidents divided by total number of district sites. 21 This percentage is calculated by the number of academic sites that were inspected for health/safety divided by the total number of academic sites. 22 This measure is calculated as the total number of health/safety violations identified at site inspections divided by the total number of district sites that were inspected. Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 13 Exhibit 18. Health and Safety Violations per Site District Broward Duval Hillsborough Miami-Dade Orange Palm Beach Health/Safety Violations per Site 2012-13 2013-14 2014-2015 67.38 N/A N/A N/A 14.71 N/A 32.45 N/A 26.18 N/A 33.45 N/A 34.89 69.78 44.76 16.23 14.06 16.37 2015-16 N/A N/A 32.06 28.52 68.54 6.68 Source: Council of the Great City Schools Key Performance Indicator Project • Exhibit 19 below compares SDPBC with peer urban districts located in Florida and throughout the nation. This exhibit presents a more comprehensive listing, separated by category, of safety and security metrics. Both state and national median scores are presented for comparison purposes and to identify opportunities for improvement. Exhibit 19. Various CGCS Safety and Security KPI’s with State and National Medians Key Performance Indicator Crisis Response Teams Drills per Team Teams per Academic Site Health/Safety Inspections Percent of Academic Sites Annually Percent of Non-Academic Sites Annually Violations per Site Identification Badges ID Badge Required, Employees - Percent of Academic Sites ID Badge Required, Employees - Percent of Non-Academic Sites ID Check and Badge Required, Visitors - Percent of Academic Sites ID Check and Badge Required, Visitors - Percent of Non-Academic Sites Incidents Assault/Battery Incidents per 1,000 Students Assaults - Firearm Incidents per 1,000 Students Assaults - Robbery Incidents per 1,000 Students Assaults - Sexual Assault Incidents per 1,000 Students Assaults - Weapon (Excluding Firearm) Incidents per 1,000 Students Bullying Incidents Response Rate Bullying/Harassment Incidents per 1,000 Students Larceny/Vandalism Incidents Rate Of Arrests Intrusion/Burglary Alarm Systems Percent of Academic Sites Percent of Non-Academic Sites Metal Detectors Detectors, Any Kind - Academic Sites Detectors, Walk-Through - Academic Sites Real-Time Video Monitoring Percent of Academic Sites Percent of Non-Academic Sites Safety and Security Armed Personnel - Percent of Security/Police Personnel, District Expenditures - Percent For Personnel Expenditures Percent of District Budget Expenditures per Student Safety and Security Staff per 1,000 Students Security Plans - Academic Sites With NIMS-Compliant Plan Training Training Hours per Safety/Security Personnel Florida CGCS Schools Median Palm Beach County Schools National CGCS Schools Median 12.083 1 14 1.717 5.426 1.009 94.70% 93.33% 28.516 98.93% 100% 6.681 95.04% 58.33% 3.028 90.63% 83.33% 91.18% 56.67% 100% 100% 100% 100% 94.87% 58.33% 88.38% 16.67% 4.562 0.0002 0.091 0.143 0.099 85.98% 1.203 5.03% 3.405 0.0053 0.084 0.021 0.110 100% 0.510 5.03% 4.373 0.0269 0.084 0.345 0.176 73.12% 1.480 6.03% 89.99% 86.67% 100% 100% 93.59% 73.33% 1.560% 0.597% 2.14% 2.14% 23.47% 11.85% 74.27% 20% 86.63% 100% 74.39% 50% 36.50% 95.16% 0.763% $54.50 1.164 84.99% 100% 89.95% 0.899% $107.24 1.330 100% 23.26% 95.03% 0.758% $89.36 1.508 94.52% 30.027 170.596 37.936 Source: CGCS 2015-2016 KPI Survey Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 14 Recommendations The Council makes the following recommendations 23 to enhance police, safety and security services to the Palm Beach school community: 1. Accelerate the recruitment and onboarding of a proven law enforcement executive to permanently fill the Director of School Police (Chief of School Police) position. This leader and his or her leadership team should be responsible for building upon department successes by identifying, developing, and articulating a robust set of safety and security priorities that support the SDPBC Mission, Core Values, and ensure safe educational environments. 2. Continue to identify opportunities to better compete for and retain employees by developing substantial compensation and benefits packages, reasonable and achievable career-ladder opportunities and appropriate financial incentives, so department personnel are encouraged to promote into exempt-level positions. 3. Maintain the current organizational structure of the department reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and continue the current department organizational structure with the three existing functions (operations, support services, and central services) reporting to the Chief of School Police. 4. Create a committee of principals and department staff to determine, with specificity, what school site procedures are the responsibility of the department and what latitude school site administrators can and should have. Identify, within current statutes, what is “negotiable” and what is “non-negotiable.” 5. Review and develop carefully delineated roles, responsibilities, and communication channels at the C-level of the district. Promote cross-functional collaboration, communication, and cooperation to break down existing stovepipes, silos, and information islands to end any notion there is a “we against them mentality” in addressing the safety and security needs of the school community. 6. Designate a single point of contact, such as a program manager, who reports to and can ensure the Superintendent that, after reviewing and making appropriate changes, the comprehensive Safe School Program is in place and is not activity based, but that it has a clearly articulated reference guide for addressing the overall safety and security needs of schools. 7. Create an Office of Emergency Management that is staffed by trained professionals who are charged with providing central support to schools and offices with robust training, drill compliance, drill observation, and related activities representing best practices at all levels of the organization. 8. Integrate and develop existing school-based personnel (e.g., custodian, food service, and other support staff) to supplement the work of the district’s safety and security priorities and efforts at all school sites. 23 Recommendations are not listed in any specific order or priority. Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 15 9. Partner with the Division of Human Resources to -a. Monitor turnover rates, establish exit interview protocols for department employees who voluntarily separate from SDPBC, and identify and track the causes for leaving in order to better identify opportunities to make or recommend changes in policy, b. Revisit, rewrite, update, and distribute job descriptions to reflect current roles and responsibilities, ensure accountability and performance, and marginalize duplication of efforts of all sworn and non-sworn staff in the department, c. Invite the SDPBC Office of Communications to plan and staff ongoing recruitment opportunities and leverage mass communication and social media approaches so the district can successfully fill current vacancies and new 75 police officer positions recently funded, and d. Create a pipeline for future officers by developing strategies to encourage SDPBC high school students to enter the field of criminology through, for example, an Explorer Program, led by police officers assigned to high schools. 10. Move beyond a culture of victimization and defensiveness in the department, created, in part, from budget cuts and other exigencies that its leadership has not had control over. 11. Prioritize roles and responsibilities in all department units to ensure that personnel are focused on school-based safety and policing practices, not duties customarily associated with municipal or county policing functions. Recruit or promote mid-level management who will champion school-based policing approaches. 12. Adopt best practices in the department that are recommended in the plethora of research, studies, seminars, and training currently available on school safety. 13. Standardize educational design specifications (educational specifications) and the acquisition, repair, replacement, and control of all physical security assets, including key access, security vestibules, access cards and readers, databases, internal security doors, fencing, and cameras. 14. Require regular, but unannounced, school visits as a standard operating procedure for all department supervisory and management personnel. 15. Communicate clear expectations regarding intra/interdepartmental communications and cooperation. Promote or hire leaders who will lead by example in order to champion knowledge sharing and collaboration. Ensure that regular staff meetings take place at each level of the department with specific agendas, documented minutes of discussions, decisions, and follow-up activities, so department employees know -a. The district’s and department’s goals and objectives and how they will be achieved, b. How employees will be held accountable for and be evaluated on their goals, c. That managers and supervisors are held responsible for ensuring that information and feedback are disseminated up-and-down and side-to-side within the department, and Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 16 d. That employee feedback and suggestions are welcome, evaluated, and considered, so employees know there is an ongoing departmental process-improvement program to encourage innovation. 16. Develop department business case justifications that include return on investment, cost-benefit analysis, the total cost of ownership, and other appropriate analytical tools for the acquisition or replacement of all capital assets. 17. Expand Memoranda of Understandings and develop Shared Service and Mutual Aid Agreements with surrounding municipalities and agencies to augment the district’s safety and security efforts. 18. Review, revise, and specify the terms and conditions for the use of all school facilities, including extra-curricular activities and community use. 19. Develop a business case justification for maintaining oversite of security systems installation and maintenance vs. returning these functions to the district’s Division of Facilities Management. 20. Evaluate the appropriateness of adding additional safety and security-related survey items to the annual School Effectiveness Questionnaire. Consider including survey items that reflect student, parent, and teacher comfort and rapport levels when interacting with police/school safety officers. Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 17 Appendix. History of Strategic Support Teams The following is a history of the Strategic Support Teams provided by the Council of the Great City Schools to urban school districts over the last 20 years. City Albuquerque Area Year Facilities and Roofing Human Resources Information Technology Special Education Legal Services Safety and Security Research Human Resources 2003 2003 2003 2005 2005 2007 2013 2016 Finance Communications Math Instruction Food Services Organizational Structure Facilities Operations Special Education Human Resources 2004 2008 2010 2011 2012 2015 2015 2016 Facilities Transportation 2009 2010 Special Education 2010 Information Technology 2011 Organizational Structure Operations Facilities Human Resources Financial Operations 2007 2008 2010 2014 2015 Special Education Curriculum & Instruction Food Service Facilities 2009 2014 2014 2016 Transportation 2012 Anchorage Atlanta Austin Baltimore Birmingham Boston Bridgeport Broward County (FL) Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 18 Information Technology Food Services Transportation Information Technology Information Technology 2000 2009 2009 2012 2018 Superintendent Support Organizational Structure Curriculum and Instruction Personnel Facilities and Operations Communications Finance Finance II Bilingual Education Special Education 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2003 2009 2014 Facilities 2004 Special Education Transportation 2005 2014 Human Resources Organizational Structure Transportation 2007 2012 2013 Curriculum and Instruction Curriculum and Instruction Special Education 2004 2009 2013 Warehouse Operations Special Education I Special Education II Bilingual Education 2010 2011 2012 2014 Curriculum and Instruction 2007 Student Assignments Transportation Safety and Security Facilities Financing Facilities Operations Transportation Curriculum and Instruction Safety and Security 1999, 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2004 2005 2007 Buffalo Caddo Parish (LA) Charleston Charlotte-Mecklenburg Cincinnati Chicago Christina (DE) Cleveland Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 19 Safety and Security Theme Schools Special Education 2008 2009 2017 Superintendent Support Human Resources Facilities Financing Finance and Treasury Budget Curriculum and Instruction Information Technology Food Services Transportation 2001 2001 2002 2003 2003 2005 2007 2007 2009 Procurement Staffing Levels Staffing Levels 2007 2009 2016 Superintendent Support Curriculum and Instruction Finance Communications Curriculum and Instruction Budget Curriculum and Instruction Organizational Structure 2001 2001 2001 2002 2005 2005 2008 2017 Superintendent Support Personnel Curriculum and Instruction Bilingual Education Curriculum and Instruction Common Core Implementation 2001 2001 2005 2006 2008 2014 Budget and Finance Staffing Levels Human Resources Special Education Bilingual Education 2003 2012 2012 2015 2015 Curriculum and Instruction Assessment Communications 2002 2002 2002 2003 2003 Columbus Dallas Dayton Denver Des Moines Detroit Curriculum and Assessment Communications Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 20 Textbook Procurement Food Services Curriculum and Instruction Facilities Finance and Budget Information Technology Stimulus planning Human Resources Special Education 2004 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009 2009 2018 Curriculum and Instruction 2012 Bilingual Education Information Technology Special Education Facilities Human Resources Transportation 2002 2003 2003 2004 2007 2017 Transportation Procurement Special Education Transportation 2005 2005 2012 2015 Facilities Operations Capitol Program Information Technology Procurement 2010 2010 2011 2011 Transportation Information Technology Finance and Budget 2007 2010 2013 Bond Referendum Communications Curriculum and Instruction 2006 2009 2017 Organization and Management Operations Human Resources Finance Information Technology Finance 2002 2002 2002 2002 2002 2006 2015 2015 Fresno Guilford County Hillsborough County Houston Indianapolis Jackson (MS) Jacksonville Facilities operations Budget and finance Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 21 Kansas City Human Resources Information Technology Finance Operations Purchasing Curriculum and Instruction Program Implementation Stimulus Planning Human Resources Transportation Finance Facilities Curriculum and Instruction 2005 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2007 2009 2016 2016 2016 2016 2016 Curriculum and Instruction 2010 Budget and Finance Organizational Structure Finance Information Technology Human Resources Business Services 2002 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 Management Information Staffing Levels Organizational Structure 2005 2009 2018 Information Technology Special Education Food Services Procurement 2007 2015 2016 2016 Construction Management Food Services Transportation Maintenance & Operations Capital Projects Information Technology 2003 2009 2009 2009 2009 2013 Research and Testing Safety and Security School Board Support Curriculum and Instruction Alternative Education 1999 2000 1999 2006 2007 Little Rock Los Angeles Louisville Memphis Miami-Dade County Milwaukee Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 22 Human Resources Human Resources Information Technology 2009 2013 2013 Curriculum and Instruction Finance Federal Programs Transportation Organizational Structure 2004 2004 2004 2016 2016 Food Service Bilingual Education Curriculum and Instruction 2010 2014 2016 Curriculum and Instruction Food Service 2007 2008 Personnel Transportation Information Technology Hurricane Damage Assessment Curriculum and Instruction 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 Special Education 2008 Testing and Assessment Curriculum and Instruction Transportation Finance 2003 2012 2018 2018 Buildings and Grounds Operations Transportation 2015 2016 Information Technology 2010 Transportation Safety & Security 2015 2018 Curriculum and Instruction Federal Programs Food Service Facilities Transportation Human Resources Budget 2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2004 2008 Minneapolis Nashville Newark New Orleans New York City Norfolk Omaha Orange County Palm Beach County Philadelphia Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 23 Human Resource Special Education Transportation 2009 2009 2014 Curriculum and Instruction Technology Finance Special Education Organizational Structure Business Services and Finance Curriculum and Instruction Research Human Resources Information Technology Facilities Operations 2005 2006 2006 2009 2016 2016 2016 2016 2018 2018 2018 Finance and Budget Procurement Operations 2010 2010 2010 Transportation 2012 Business Operations MIS and Technology Personnel Human Resources Special Education Bilingual Education 2001 2001 2001 2007 2011 2011 Hurricane Damage Assessment 2017 Facilities Management Food Services Purchasing School Police Transportation Information Technology 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 Transportation Curriculum and Instruction Federal Programs Special Education Human Resources 2003 2003 2003 2003 2014 Finance and Technology 2003 Pittsburgh Portland Prince George’s County Providence Puerto Rico Reno Richmond Rochester Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 24 Transportation Food Services Special Education 2004 2004 2008 Special Education 2016 Facilities Operations IT Operations Transportation Food Services Human Resource 2017 2017 2017 2017 2018 Finance Food Service Transportation Procurement 2006 2006 2007 2007 Technology 2001 Special Education Curriculum and Instruction Federal Programs Textbook Procurement Human Resources 2003 2004 2004 2004 2005 Special Education Transportation Organizational Structure 2011 2011 2017 Human Resources Budget and Finance Information Technology Bilingual Education Transportation Capital Projects Maintenance and Operations Procurement Food Services Capital Projects 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2013 Curriculum and Instruction 2005 Finance and Procurement Personnel Communications 1998 1998 1998 Sacramento San Antonio San Diego San Francisco St. Louis St. Paul Seattle Toledo Washington, D.C. Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 25 Transportation Facilities Management Special Education Legal and General Counsel MIS and Technology Curriculum and Instruction Budget and Finance Transportation Curriculum and Instruction Common Core Implementation 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 2003 2005 2005 2007 2011 Transportation Information Technology 2009 2017 Wichita Council of the Great City Schools, April 2018 26