Mt. Clemens, MI - Macomb County Emergency Management and Communications has announced a partnership with the Macomb Intermediate School District (MISD) and local school districts that will allow risk and vulnerability assessments to be conducted at a number of schools across the region.
To date, 14 public school districts representing 146 schools have entered into letters of agreement with the County to conduct assessments at their buildings, with costs covered by Michigan Department of Education funding. All schools, public and private, are eligible to participate in the program.
"These assessments provide important insights into potential security improvements, ensuring that our students, educators and staff have a safe and secure learning environment," said Macomb County Executive Mark A. Hackel "Through the long-standing partnership with the MISD and other local school districts, we are demonstrating our commitment to prioritizing the safety and well-being of our community.”
The assessments announced provide each participating school with an assessment and follow-up report containing safety considerations, including recommendations for potential security enhancements, policy and protocol updates, school climate and training for staff.
“Macomb County Emergency Management, the Macomb Intermediate School District and 21 local school districts have been working closely together on school safety for well over 20 years,” said Macomb Intermediate School District Superintendent Mike DeVault. “I’m grateful for the partnership between County Executive Hackel’s office and Emergency Management that has resulted in many safety initiatives, and I’m proud of the work we have done on risk and vulnerability assessment.”
In 2019, Macomb County Emergency Management formed a school safety section to further strengthen the connections between schools, government and public safety. This section has been instrumental in supporting the MISD and local school districts in conducting risk assessments, updating emergency operations plans, conducting training and developing programs related to Behavioral Threat Assessment.
"In May of 2019 the County of Macomb and the Macomb ISD recognized the growing need for expertise in school safety,” said Brandon Lewis, director, Macomb County Emergency Management and Communications. “At that time we used grant dollars to hire an emergency management coordinator, former Harper Woods Public Safety Director Jim Burke, to focus exclusively on our schools. It is through his efforts, and those of the emergency management staff, that we have earned the trust of our local schools and are looked to as the experts in updating them on best practices."
For more information on Macomb County Emergency Management and its school safety initiatives, visit oemc.macombgov.org/Oemc-Home.