SILVER CREEK — As students and families return for the first day at Silver Creek Central School, Superintendent Todd Crandall shares important updates on the 2018 capital project that affect access to the building this school year.

Last year, work on the $17.6 million project began with data cabling for the new phone and Raptor security systems. Today is the first day that the new security system will be implemented at all main entrances. Crandall advises all visitors to be prepared to show identification in order to gain access to the building, which must be through the main lobby entrances of the elementary school or the middle/high school.

Entrance through other doors, including the band entrance, is no longer allowed during school hours. The small parking lot by the elementary playground remains closed for the 2019-2020 school year for construction purposes, but the playground is open and operational to the community.

Emily McCurdy, secretary to the superintendent, explained that Raptor has already been in limited use since installation was completed about two weeks ago; however, today is the first official day of full implementation. “Visitors should bring their ID every time they come to the building,” she said. “There is also going to be a mobile station for Raptor in the elementary school cafeteria for families, too.”

The first time visitors sign in with Raptor, they should expect to wait about one to two minutes while the scanner inputs the ID into the system. After the initial scan, signing in on future visits is just as fast as using handwritten name tags and sign-in sheets. The visitor’s name, photo and destination are all printed and visible on the badge. Almost 30,000 school districts across the country have implemented Raptor, including nearby Gowanda Central School District and Westfield Academy and Central School.

“This system is a web-based software application used in school districts across New York state as well as right here in western New York to conduct instant sex offender screenings for all visitors to our school,” Crandall explained in a letter to parents. “Raptor will allow our school to electronically check all visitors against a registered sexual offender database, produce a visitor badge, and monitor visitors once inside our school buildings.”

A procedural guide, including a frequently-asked-questions list for Raptor, is available online at www.silvercreekschools.org/news. “What’s amazing about Raptor is that every night, the sex-offender data base is updated, which means our system is using the newest information available,” Crandall told the OBSERVER. “Last year, all parents and visitors had to show photo ID when signing in, so it’s not necessarily a big change. Most parents are very well versed in this. We’re just trying to be preventive in nature because our staff and students’ safety is of the utmost importance.”

Crandall is pleased to share that phase three of the capital project is underway in multiple areas of the district. “The six-classroom addition was a big project this summer,” he explained to the OBSERVER. “The crews have dug the foundation and will begin laying the bricks this week. Their goal is to get the walls and the roof up before the snow falls.”

Students in need of the nurse’s office are directed to the temporary nurse’s suite, which is located in room 434 in the fifth grade wing between the elementary and middle schools. Throughout the summer months, crews worked on a new nurse’s suite, which is also part of phase three. Work will continue this fall, and Crandall anticipates a completion date of December 2019 for the new suite.

This week, work began on the bus garage, where crews are building three new bus bays. During this time, the bus garage will be operational, but students are directed to bypass Webster Avenue construction area for safety reasons.

Faculty and staff have been busy preparing for the new school year, too. On Wednesday, Crandall told the OBSERVER that all employees have completed sexual harassment training as required by New York state. He shared a recent training session on restorative practices that faculty and staff also participated in. “It’s about how to mend and build relationships within a district and discipline with dignity, rather than just having consequences,” he explained. “Discipline should be a learning opportunity, not simply a punishment.”

Crandall also shared a new training program that faculty and staff attended on Wednesday morning. “We had an excellent presenter on ‘cultural trauma,'” Crandall said. “Many, many people think differently about trauma. Trauma could result from a car accident, issues growing up, abuse, PTSD and so much more. All of our staff, including our bus drivers, participated in this training to learn how to de-escalate situations and try to understand students that may be acting out because there’s generally a reason why.”

Overall, the superintendent is enthusiastic about the work that has been completed over the summer. “Our buildings and grounds are ready,” he said. “I’m looking forward to welcoming our students to another great school year.”