The Property and Casualty Coverage for Education (PACE) program’s Board of Trustees recently recognized the InterMountain Education Service District as a School Safety Star.
Phil Wentz, chairman of the PACE board, presented the award in Salem during the “PACE Day: Safe and Secure Schools” event.
The IMESD was honored as the inaugural School Safety Star for its regional school security initiative, an innovative program to provide the ESD’s 18 component school districts in three counties with evaluation tools, resources and training to improve school security and increase student safety. The award included $5,000 from PACE to be used in a school safety improvement effort.
“The IMESD is honored to receive this safety award from PACE, but we share this recognition with the many regional partners who continue to collaborate with us on the crucial issue of school safety. We know there is more work to be done,” said Michele Madril, IMESD’s director of communication and print solutions.
Pendleton Police Chief Stuart Roberts said that safety should be a priority for everyone, and educating people about appropriate responses to perceived/identified threats is important.
“Through the leadership of IMESD Superintendent Mark Mulvihill and his IMESD peers, deficiencies were identified and solutions were vigorously pursued in order to meet the agency’s charge of not only educating, but also protecting students, staff and visitors alike,” Roberts said. “Albeit safety responses and protocols will always be a work in progress, I applaud the IMESD’s vision, commitment and leadership in the area of school safety.”
PACE (pace.osba.org) is an insurance pool made up of roughly 300 Oregon member school districts, charter schools, education service districts and community colleges.
