Albuquerque Public Schools
The Team Working to Keep Schools Safe
In her weekly message, APS Superintendent Gabriella Blakey delves into a new safety initiative she launched with Chief Steve Gallegos.
Ask any educator, and they’ll tell you preparing our students for success is a team effort. Teachers and principals are the star players, without a doubt. But they couldn’t do what they do without the rest of the team – the counselors, school nurses, custodians, librarians, office staff, and so many others who show up every day to serve our kids.
Among the employees who fall into this category are members of the APS Police Department’s new Integrated Supports Team Unit, an initiative I recently launched with Chief Steve Gallegos. These are trained professionals with expertise in behavior intervention and restorative practices, and they’re often called upon to conduct threat assessments.
Members of my Executive Leadership Team on Monday had the opportunity to meet the members of the unit and hear about the work they’re doing. I want to share some of that with you, particularly given the tragic school shooting that played out in Georgia last week.
The team is overseen by Deputy Chief Steven Marez, who has been in law enforcement for more than 30 years. Shantail Miller, who is licensed as a K-12 administrator and early childhood educator, is the director of threat assessment. The team also includes a restorative practices manager and three case managers.
In recent weeks, they’ve had their hands full investigating reports of serious threats made by students at several schools. APS takes all such threats seriously, and this team works diligently to get to the bottom of every one of them.
The unit doesn’t just determine if a student made a threat. Whether we like it or not, kids sometimes lash out and say things they don’t mean.
As they told us, any student can make a threat, but the vast majority of those students don’t mean it. The key question the unit seeks to answer is whether a student actually poses a threat, and they look at several things when making that determination, including whether there’s any evidence the student has taken steps to carry out the threat. They talk to school personnel, classmates, parents, and others as they assess the situation.
Their work extends beyond threat assessment.
They facilitate restorative practices at schools by training staff, supporting students in crisis, helping with mediation, and even making home visits. Restorative practices build empathy and emphasize conflict-resolution skills. The approach relies on building relationships, trust, and respect.
They help APS police officers during crises involving students by applying social and emotional learning practices and behavior intervention expertise. They provide on-the-spot intervention during urgent situations.
After the crisis is over, they offer follow-up services and coordinate with school staff and others to ensure that students are getting what they need. They also help parents access programs available for their children.
The work this new unit is doing is vital, and I’m grateful to the entire team, which also includes Linda Kane, Jakyra Clemons, Lydia Williams, and Rosalind Jones. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Lacey, the dog that works magic with struggling students.
They are doing amazing work – work that illustrates that we don’t give up on our kids.
Have a great weekend!