EL-10: Safety, Security, and Social-Emotional Wellness

Brandon Smith, Director of Emergency Preparedness, Security and Transportation

Ellen Clark, Executive Director of Academic & Personal Success

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March 5, 2025

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Executive Limitations Policy 10 (EL-10) requires the Superintendent to equitably preserve, safeguard, and protect the physical, intellectual, and emotional safety, security, and wellness of students, staff, families, volunteers, and community members. Accordingly, the Superintendent shall not:

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• 10.1 - Allow safety/security practices that violate local, state, or federal law or constitutional rights
• 10.2 - Fail to ensure physical, intellectual, and social-emotional environment promotes safety and wellness
• 10.3 - Permit safety/security measures that compromise privacy rights
• 10.4 - Fail to develop, implement, and maintain comprehensive emergency response plans
• 10.5 - Fail to implement physical security measures to protect District properties and assets
• 10.6 - Fail to establish appropriate cyber-security measures to protect digital infrastructure
• 10.7 - Fail to ensure staff and volunteers receive periodic safety and wellness training
• 10.8 - Fail to maintain communication with law enforcement, emergency agencies, and mental health professionals
• 10.9 - Fail to regularly monitor and evaluate effectiveness of safety and wellness programs
• 10.10 - Fail to allocate adequate financial, human, and technological resources for safety and wellness

Highlights

• 10.2: SHS Healthy Kids Colorado Survey shows meaningful improvement 2021-2025: persistent sadness decreased from 36% to 16%; suicide consideration dropped from 16% to 9%; manageable stress increased from 55% to 62%

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• 10.2: Elementary SEL gains (Insights): K-3 Responsible Decision Making rose from 79% to 89% (+10 pts); 4-5 Self-Awareness grew from 88% to 95% (+7 pts); 3 of 4 competency areas now meet or exceed the 85% district goal

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• 10.2: SMS S.T.I.T.C.H. climate data shows positive gains for Hispanic students — acceptance by adults improved from 4.18 to 4.40; Hispanic students now report higher safety perceptions (3.87) than White students (3.80), reversing 2024 pattern

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• 10.4: All mental health staff and principals completed threat assessment training (Feb 2, 2026) and suicide risk assessment training (Sept 26, 2025); certified PREPARE trainer on staff enabled immediate expert crisis response in fall 2025

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• 10.7: The creation of incident reviews for workers compensation claims. Five have been completed this school year, as of February 20th, 2026. Completing these not only helps identify ways to keep staff safer at work, but helps with Summit School District’s cost containment plan, which reduces our insurance premium over time.

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• 10.8 - The replacement of an outdated bi-directional amplifier at Summit High School. Prior to this equipment being replaced law enforcement and fire agencies had a very hard time communicating with each other both internal at the school and communicating to officers outside the school from inside the building.

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• 10.10: District employs 17 school counselors (3 added this year), 6 psychologists, 2 social workers, 1 substance use counselor, BCBA, and day treatment staff — a specialized mental health team serving all 9 school sites

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• 10.10: Over $2.5M in active grant funding secured, including $950K School Counselor Corps Grant (2025-28) supporting 3 FTE counselors, enabling programming beyond what the general fund alone could sustain

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Challenges

• 10.2: Hispanic students at SMS report only 46% have manageable stress in 2025 — down from 60% in 2021, a 14-point decline signaling urgent need for targeted support
• 10.2: LGBTQ+ students report highest mental health challenges across both schools — 42% of SMS and 38% of SHS LGBTQ+ students reported persistent sadness in 2025
• 10.2: Elementary peer belonging below target (85%) goal — “kids care about me” at 79% (White) and 62% (Hispanic) in Fall 2025
• 10.2: SHS climate survey: only 50-60% of students feel they have a voice for change; just 63-64% report a working system to report discrimination
• 10.2: Sources of Strength coordinator position at SHS remains vacant; program sustained only through workarounds
• 10.7: Getting the right school staff members on each School Safety Team.
• 10.7: finding more opportunities to train school and District staff on emergency preparedness and school safety.
• 10.9: PBIS risk ratio data shows Latino students referred at disproportionately higher rates at SMS (1.47) and Snowy Peaks (1.49) — both well above the equitable 1.0 benchmark
• 10.10: Several major grants expire in 2026 (SLFRF $400K, Caring for Colorado $397K), creating near-term sustainability risk for grant-funded wellness positions

Next Steps

• Continue to build targeted supports for SMS students, where suicide consideration increased from 18% to 20% and Hispanic students’ manageable stress fell from 60% to 46% since 2021 — both counter to district-wide trends including expansion of LGBTQ+-affirming supports at both SMS & SHS
• Continue implementation of targeted peer belonging interventions at elementary level
• Continue to strengthen and allow for opportunities for student voice
• Address PBIS discipline disproportionality at SMS and Snowy Peaks
• Develop strategies to address significant loss of grant funding
• Use School Counselor Corps Grant year 2 & 3 to establish measurable outcomes and track progress on 9th grade success, postsecondary planning, peer belonging, and peer-related disciplinary incidents
• Work to find more training opportunities for teachers and other staff members in the buildings to better prepare everyone to handle emergencies.
• PD Days
• Additional drills for the Standard Response Protocol
• HOLD
• SECURE
• LOCKDOWN
• Change the way lockdown drills are completed to better train for emergencies and provide school staff learning opportunities.

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• Continue to assess compliance with the Colorado Safe Schools Act and Summit School District policies pertaining to safety, and work on areas of concern.

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