Alec Johnson:

Neither Brunner, McNulty nor Poulos responded to the Journal Sentinel’s questions.

The district has had several security incidents this year: a parent confronting a student, a threat, a student punching out a classroom window. If elected, how would you address the district’s safety and security practices?

Henderson: In these tough times, our teachers, staff, and first responders must be aligned on response standards to respond to unique situations. I believe our leaders did the right thing by responding to these incidents as quickly as possible and ensuring personal safety. However, we saw an opportunity for improvement in communications. It is the duty of the district to ensure every parent receives timely, pertinent communications related to their children’s safety at school. This can be balanced with the very reasonable demand for student privacy. There absolutely is a suitable compromise that can be achieved in policy & practice.

Henning: Ensuring our children are safe is essential for their learning and growth. I am committed to making it a priority because I know it is for the families in our district. I will partner with the administration to thoroughly evaluate safety protocols, ensuring they are effective and well-understood. I will actively listen to staff to incorporate their insights and advocate for additional expertise if needed. Clear, consistent communication about safety measures will be my focus to build trust. I will champion training for crisis preparedness and foster a culture of respect and accountability, ensuring every child feels secure and supported.

Peterson: Student safety goes hand in hand with academic achievement in our public schools. Student violence prevention should be a collaborative effort between the administration and families. Parents and families need to take as much accountability ensuring that their kids are learning and practicing conflict resolution skills at home while teachers are encouraging them at school. Administration policy should be routinely reviewed to ensure that we are learning from past incidents and also meeting the present day safety climate which seems to be rapidly changing with external threats as well as internal concerns from cyber/physical bullying and student violence.