White text on a blue background reads Arkport News

Earlier this month, we mailed our residents a newsletter that reviewed the results from our latest Thoughtexchange and outlined how we plan on using the feedback to improve.

Click here to access a PDF of the newsletter or read below for a summary of the results.  

Note: If you have not received a copy of the newsletter and would like a paper copy,  please contact communications@arkportcsd.org.

We appreciate your thoughts  

The district frequently uses the Thoughtexchange platform to gather the school-community’s perspectives on critical issues and topics. Through the district’s Thoughtexchanges, staff, students and parents/guardians anonymously share their thoughts and rate the thoughts of others.  

In December 2020, we launched a Thoughtexchange that asked the school community to rate the district’s readiness to address various safety matters and share what changes would increase their confidence in school safety at Arkport.

What did we learn?  

You can find a full report from the December 2020 ThoughtExchange, including all thoughts and top themes here.

The following is a broad summary of what we learned. 

We learned that the school community…  

  • In general, feels safe at Arkport Central School District;
  • Is comforted by the presence of a school resource officer;
  • Would like to learn more about how the district handles various safety concerns

We learned that the district could improve it’s… 

  • cyber-bullying prevention education;
  • substance abuse prevention education;  
  • overall communication about school safety procedures; and
  • follow up communication when an incident (such as a lock down) occurs. 

We learned that the school community would like… 

  • more information about how the district handles matters related to bullying, mental health supports/emergencies, substance abuse education, student disruptions and intruders. 
  • a new school resource officer in the school district.

What are we doing next?  

The district will… 

  • explore how other districts address and prevent cyber-bullying and substance abuse in their schools and look to improve our current practices;
  • reach out to parents/guardians to provide them with a clearer look at how the district handles various safety matters and let them to know who to contact with concerns regarding a particular matter; and
  • hire a school resource officer for the 2021-22 school year.