School safety & building
maintenance
Measures taken to
protect students and staff
Funding was
approved in the budget year to buy equipment to control access in all elementary
schools. This means that all public
access to the school will be through the main doors and thereafter directly to
the principal’s office. Other
exterior doors will be accessible by electronic keys issued to district
employees. This will generate a log
of who is accessing the building.
Securing the doors in this fashion will greatly enhance the safety of students,
employees, and patrons. It is the
intent of the board to expand this school security program to all secondary
schools once all elementary schools are completed.
Asked at Cottonwood High School community meeting, October 17,
2007
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Infection and Disease Control
The district is working closely with the state and county
health departments to coordinate efforts in the event of an epidemic.
Among other things, we are working to comply with health department
recommendations regarding cleanliness, hand-washing, and so on.
Asked at Granger High School community meeting, October 23,
2007
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Concern or safety at
Valley Crest drop-off zone
The traffic issue at Valley Crest Elementary is currently being analyzed by the
school district architect in conjunction with the West Valley City safety
engineer. The district is committed to help increase the size of the driveway
and/or add an additional entry to the school if it fits within the city
guidelines.
Asked at Hunter High School community meeting, November 7, 2007
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Mold at Orchard Elementary
Following the discovery of mold in the crawl space under Orchard Elementary, the
district has worked closely with OSHA to address all issues relating to the
mold. The main problem was water seeping and collecting under the building.
Major construction projects were conducted to eliminate the moisture source and
to remove or bleach any construction materials that showed signs of moisture.
Final re-insulation of that space is currently being completed.
Asked at Hunter High School community meeting, November 7, 2007
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Rebuilding schools, building new
ones
The Granite School District Board of Education has received criticism for
deciding to rebuild a junior high school that burned down in one geographical
area of the district. It has also received criticism for building more schools
in one geographical area than it has built in others. And the Board will
continue to receive criticism from someone any time it makes a decision that
appears to focus on just one community or area in a sizeable school district.
But that is one of the benefits of being in Granite District. Board members are
elected as representatives from geographical precincts that are all unique in a
variety of ways. Those multiple backgrounds and community perspectives bring
richness and collective wisdom to the board of education that can serve it well
because, though board members are elected by their various communities, their
oath of office requires them to represent all the students and patrons of the
entire district. That common responsibility encourages board members to be
flexible, to look to the future, to “give everyone a turn” and to expect that
patrons within the district will do the same - recognize the need to support and
compromise with one another for the collective good of all the district’s
children.
Asked at Cyprus High School community meeting, January 8,
2008
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Fire alarms
Fire alarm systems and building code requirements have changed over time as
better equipment and practices are implemented. All Granite District schools are
in compliance with fire code regulations. Although we are in compliance, it is
our goal to further enhance the fire alarm systems. Two systems were upgraded at
a cost of $125,000 each this year. It is our goal to complete the remaining
schools this year.
Asked at Olympus High School community meeting, November 28, 2007
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Handicapped parking
violations
Students and adults who park in handicap zones should be reported to the school
administration. Adequate ADA parking exist at all schools and handicap stalls
are to be left available for those needing special parking accommodations.
Violators to this policy are subject to ticketing and/or towing.
Asked at Olympus High School community meeting, November 28, 2007
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Why is the sheriff’s
department involved in the school when we have our own police force?
Granite School District serves South Salt Lake, West Valley, Taylorsville, and a
portion of Murray, West Jordan, and unincorporated Salt Lake County. Each of
these governmental entities has a police force. However, all of the agencies are
extremely busy with a wide variety of pressing calls. A call wherein someone is
hurt or in grave danger would result in the prioritization of that call and the
police response would be robust. However, for more routine calls the wait can be
much longer. The school district generates far in excess of 9,000 calls for
service every year. To meet the high volume of school related calls in a very
timely manner, and to protect the district facilities at night, the School Board
elected to organize it own police department so that the service of its
department could focus on protecting the students, staff, and property. The
School District Police Department has 17 officers and operates 24/7, 365 days a
year. With the combined support of the outside police agencies the district
police department we are able to handle all the calls in a timely manner.
Asked at Olympus High School community meeting, November 28, 2007
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Physical
conditions of schools on the east side is not good
Building conditions throughout the district are a
concern. Repairs and improvements are made annually using all available funds to
upgrade or maintain our aging schools. It is important the district be
financially responsible and not over spend on facilities, however, our buildings
must remain safe, energy efficient, clean, and provide a comfortable learning
environment for the students. Every school is regularly evaluated by our
maintenance staff. The principal in conjunction with the community council will
make recommendations for improvements. Since the average age of our school
buildings is approximately 40 years old, there is always more needs than money.
The board of education is continually stretching
limited funds to meet facility needs across the district. In recent years
several older building were replaced with new buildings, new schools were built,
and additions were constructed to existing buildings to increase school size.
Regardless of what avenues are used to improve our
school building in the future, it will be expensive. Granite School District has
been out of debt since 1996 which has saved a great deal of money, however
without the infusion of additional capital funds, Granite District schools will
continue to get older and will require more money and effort to keep them
repaired.
Asked at Skyline High School community meeting, January 16,
2008
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Stage and safety issues
Over a year ago it was determined that the fly system “ropes and pulleys” on the
stage were unsafe. The district hired a company to oversee the removal and
replacement of the entire fly system to address the safety and functionality of
the stage.
As the new system was installed, it became apparent that some alterations were
needed that were different from the original design. This work was completed
last year. Since completion last summer a few additional alterations have been
deemed as important to student safety. The most obvious need is to move a metal
bridge located in the upper stage area to a different elevation. This bridge is
very heavy and awkward. It is about 30 to 40 feet off the stage floor. This
project has been sent out for bid twice now and is currently out a third time.
To this point no contractors have offered a bid to fix the bridge. We are
pursuing other avenues to finish this project as soon as possible.
Asked at Skyline High School community meeting, January 16,
2008
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Wear and tear on Churchill, restoration/compensation after housing Wasatch?
After Wasatch Junior students move back to their building this coming fall, the
district will evaluate Churchill for wear and tear. Relocatable units will be
moved and repairs will be made as needed.
Asked at Skyline High School community meeting, January 16,
2008
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Skyline swimming pool needs
attention
The Skyline pool is one of 9 swimming pools in the district. These pools have
been a great asset to our district over the years as our district swim teams
have won many state titles. Nothing is better than swimming to keep the body fit
and healthy.
These pools are expensive to own and operate. The commitment to school swimming
pools has indeed been outstanding in the Granite School District over the years.
Granite is actually the only large district in the state where all high schools
have their own pool.
Skyline’s pool will be evaluated along with all other district pools again this
spring for any major repairs that may be needed. In the mean time, any issues
that are life safety concerns are dealt with immediately as they are discovered
or reported.
Asked at Skyline High School community meeting, January 16,
2008
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Eastwood needs to be retrofitted for earthquake and air conditioning, fix
electrical box in supply room, extension cords running along ceiling
Eastwood needs:
Air conditioning— The board will evaluate the possibility to add air
conditioning as money is available.
Seismic upgrade — Being an older school, Eastwood was build before many of
today’s seismic codes. Upgrades to buildings for seismic improvements are
included on our older buildings as roof systems are replaced. Cost associated
with completely seismically upgrading a building often exceed the cost of a new
building. Ability to withstand a seismic event will be one factor considered by
the board as funds are available to replace buildings.
Extension cords/Electric box in supply room — The extension cord hanging from
the ceiling of the supply room was installed correctly. Installations of this
nature are used when electricity is desired on a counter top surface such as
science labs, work areas, and shops. This installation meets code requirements
and is installed as designed.
Asked at Skyline High School community meeting, January 16,
2008
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How can
physical fitness/playground equipment be improved?
The district is upgrading playground equipment annually as funding is available.
New regulations are specific in the sizes and configurations of acceptable
playground apparatus and the materials under that apparatus. Some schools have
raised money locally through the PTA association to expedite the process. The
costs to install a new playground system is high and can range from between 25
to 50 thousand dollars. If rubberized matting is used under this equipment, the
cost is increased by about ten thousand dollars.
The district will continue to replace equipment that is considered a safety risk
and upgrade older playground systems when feasible.
Asked at Skyline High School community meeting, January 16,
2008
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District emergency plan has not been updated since 1998 - Please help us be
prepared
There is an Emergency Preparedness Manual in every classroom in the district
which was last updated in January 2006. Each school should also have an
Emergency Response Plan on file in the office. The principal is responsible to
keep that information up to date.
School safety is a very high priority in the district and information is
constantly being reviewed on how to handle new emergencies.
Asked at Skyline High School community meeting, January 16,
2008
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Traffic and safety issues in front of elementary schools when picking up
children
Every year more and more parents are electing to drop off and pick up their
students from school. The additional number of cars at the school has created
major student safety and supervision problems. Schools are eager to adjust
traffic flow patterns and alter school bell schedules to reduce the traffic
issues, but only so much can be done. It is vital that parents help reduce
traffic issues by following designed traffic flow areas, not parking in areas
that halt traffic flow, car pooling with other neighbors, and whenever possible,
having children walk to school.
By state statue, the district is required to install separate drop-off zones for
school buses and parent zones. This is obviously an attempt to keep students
safe from moving cars while walking around buses. Many times this separation
provides safety for students loading buses, but causes more issues for traffic
gridlock in other areas of the campus. Principals and community councils are
encouraged to evaluate their campus and find ways to help move parents along at
the opening and closing of the school day.
When financially feasible, the school district makes modifications to drop off
areas to enhance efficiency. Often the land needed for these improvements is not
available and becomes a limiting factor.
Asked at Taylorsville High School community meeting, January
22,
2008
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Plymouth Elementary landscaping looks bad because sprinklers need to be fixed,
outside lighting is needed to discourage graffiti, door security needs to be
improved, and bathrooms need to have hand dryers
Last summer the district added automatic sprinkler systems to six elementary
schools. Plymouth is one of three schools scheduled for a system this summer.
This project will begin in early spring and a determination as to the best
method to restore the grass in areas that are severely damaged will follow. Auto
systems help conserve water when used correctly, but school custodians will
still need to monitor and evaluate the grass throughout the summer. This can be
difficult at many of our schools (including Plymouth) because of the extreme
high usage of the field by the school and the local youth sports programs.
Graffiti is a constant battle across the district. Lighting sometimes helps
reduce graffiti. Lights around Plymouth will be evaluated for coverage. Graffiti
is removed immediately when found, but it does take time, effort, and funds to
stay on top of this issue. One reason the district installs chain link fences
and does not allow patrons living next to schools to build a solid fence (such
as the popular vinyl type), is to avoid providing a nice clean writing surface
for our local graffiti artists.
This year, the Board of Education provided funds for access control at all our
elementary schools. This system only allows teachers, principals, and recess
assistants access to the school building through the back and side doors
following recess. As a matter of fact, this system will require any person
visiting the school to enter the building through the front doors next to the
office. We are confident this provides better security for our students.
Currently, our installation team is completing one elementary a week and should
have all elementary schools completed this summer. Other similar measures will
be included at the secondary level as funds are available. Presently all
secondary schools have security cameras installed around the campus to observe
and record various issues.
Asked at Taylorsville High School community meeting, January
22,
2008
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Taylorsville High
needs repair and/or replacement
Taylorsville High school is one of the best schools in our district. It is only
23-years-old while the average age of our high schools is 43-years; it is still
one of the newer schools. The custodial staff is one of the best around and the
facility is one of the best-maintained schools in our district. The district is
completing necessary upgrades to maintain this building and the students and
community take great pride in the beautiful campus.
Currently two projects are underway at T-Ville. First, the stage rigging was
determined to be worn out and potentially unsafe, so a new stage rigging system
was installed this past month to bring it back into code. Second, the pool needs
repair to stop water from leaking out of the bottom. This project will begin the
second week of February as the swim season concludes.
Asked at Taylorsville High School community meeting, January
22,
2008
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