Dear Cle Elum-Roslyn School Community,
Over the past four years, our district has made significant improvements to school safety systems, communication tools, and emergency response procedures. Our goal is simple: ensure students and staff are safe, informed, and supported in any situation.
School safety expectations have changed significantly in recent years, and we are committed to ensuring our schools are prepared using modern tools and best practices. Some of these changes may feel less convenient than past practices, particularly related to building access and after-hours entry. These adjustments are necessary to maintain secure learning environments for students and staff.
Much of this work has involved integrating newer technology with older infrastructure — in some cases systems that are 30–50 years old. As we have implemented improvements, we have experienced some false alarms while calibrating systems and ensuring all components work together reliably. We understand these situations can be frustrating, and we work hard to minimize disruption. At the same time, these experiences help us identify gaps and make needed adjustments. Over spring break, we completed significant updates, testing, and final calibration, and our upgraded system is now fully operational. We sincerely apologize for the stress, and trauma, of past alarms. This is not something we want for our students or staff to experience.
A major focus of this work has been improving response time, strengthening communication during emergencies, and increasing our ability to quickly secure school buildings when needed.
Staff now have multiple ways to initiate an emergency response, allowing faster action if needed. Panic buttons, radios, intercom paging, and secure applications allow staff to initiate a response from multiple locations rather than relying on a single office.
We have transitioned from sirens to plain-language voice announcements so students and staff can clearly understand the situation and differentiate between a fire alarm, lockdown, or other emergency. Clear communication helps reduce confusion and improves response.
We have strengthened our ability to secure school entrances through updated access control systems, card swipe entry, security vestibules at each school, video doorbells to verify visitors, and more consistent visitor procedures. These improvements allow exterior doors to be secured quickly when necessary.
Additional upgrades include new intercom systems, improved speaker coverage, expanded camera systems, updated staff radios, SmartTag implementation, and enhanced bus safety measures including cameras and radios. We have also made accessibility improvements such as wheelchair-accessible door openers and other facility adjustments to better support students, staff, and community members.
We will also be implementing tighter security after school hours. This means more limited entry points and access restricted to specific areas during events rather than access to entire buildings. While this represents a change from past practice, it helps ensure our schools remain secure at all times.
During spring break, our district worked with engineers, technology staff, vendors, law enforcement, and regional safety experts to finalize system integration. These efforts strengthen our ability to communicate clearly, secure buildings quickly, and coordinate effectively with emergency responders.
Technology alone does not create safe schools. Training and preparation are equally important. Our next steps include continued staff training, student safety instruction, updated door schedules, refinement of after-hours procedures, and ongoing collaboration with safety experts. Our best defense is continued focus on every child, known by name, valued and respected, and a strong sense of belonging and support for her is our primary focus. Our staff do an exceptional job in this area through PBIS rewards, Social Emotional Learning Lessons, Student study teams to support students, and deep supports like counselors, mental health counselors, certificated nurses, drug and alcohol prevention specialist, SRO and caring adults in every position.
School safety is a shared responsibility. We appreciate the flexibility and support of our families and community as we implement these improvements. While these changes may take adjustment, they are important steps in maintaining safe and secure schools.
We remain committed to continuous improvement and welcome feedback.
If you have suggestions, questions, or ideas that may help strengthen our work, please feel free to reach out at belcherj@cersd.org.
Thank you for your partnership in supporting safe schools for our students and staff.
All my best,
John H. Belcher (“JB”)
Superintendent
Cle Elum-Roslyn School District