When Portage Township Schools developed the Comprehensive and Collaborative Approach to School Safety and Security plan, our intention was to include representation from all of the law enforcement jurisdictions that serve the township; this includes the Portage Police Department, the Porter County Sheriff’s Department, and the Indiana State Police. Due to the Portage Police Department permitting their officers to be involved on a full-time basis only, we have made some revisions to our original plan for our School Resource Officers.
Portage Township Schools will deploy the Comprehensive and Collaborative Approach to School Safety and Security initiatives that were approved by the School Board of Trustees on June 13, 2018. This realignment of the SRO portion of the plan will allow for Officer John Wright and Officer Jay Cowger to remain in their full-time SRO positions with Portage Township Schools.
Portage Township Schools will continue the deployment of best practices regarding school safety and security with our current initiatives, including the Porter County Safe Schools Commission, the Bully Hotline, Guard 911/Hero 911, and Restorative Justice. These initiatives will be in conjunction with the following expanded initiatives to be launched in August, including: the Comprehensive School-Based Counseling, Monitoring of Student Devices 24/7, the Anonymous Digital Tipline, and the expansion of the SRO Collaborative Partnership. We looking forward to the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year when the Comprehensive, Collaborative Approach to School Safety and Security is launched with the expanded services outlined in the adopted plan.