May 24 UPDATE: Highline School Board members do not have to formally vote on the new security plan recently unveiled by district administrators.

District officials, however, emphasize that they would not move forward with the plan without informal board agreement.

While the district did hold a community meeting May 20 on the recommendations, a presentation was not given at the May 22 school board meeting.

Here is our previous coverage with corrections made:

School security officers will remain armed under a proposal announced May 14 by Highline Public Schools.

A public meeting will be held Monday, May 20, 6-7:30 p.m., at district headquarters (ERAC), 15675 Ambaum Blvd. S.W.

The school board holds its regular meeting on Wednesday, May 22, 6 p.m., at Southern Heights Elementary,11249 14th Ave. S.

Here is the news release from the district:

More extensive staff training and strong coordination with local law enforcement are the hallmarks of a proposal to improve safety and security at Highline schools. The proposal will be presented to the community at a public meeting on Monday, May 20.

The district Safety and Security plan would not bring major changes to staff structure. It does call for significant improvements in the extent and types of training required of Safety and Security officers. It also outlines joint training and collaboration with local law enforcement agencies.

The proposal includes a vision statement and guiding principles that emphasize building relationships with students as a way to prevent school violence. It envisions Safety and Security personnel as mentors who students trust to help them solve issues that could lead to conflicts at school. The plan includes a rigorous hiring process to ensure that the best candidates are selected as Safety and Security staff.

The proposal was developed after several months of study that included input from staff and community members. The police chiefs of Des Moines, Normandy Park, Burien, and SeaTac and the South Precinct Commander from the King County Sheriff’s Office gave input on the plan.
Safety consultant Roger Baker, a retired Des Moines police chief, did an analysis of the current safety program and made recommendations for improvement.

For our previous coverage go to www.highlinetimes.com.