​Dear Families,

On Wednesday, April 11 Harbor Beach Community Schools Hosted a Professional Development in which we reviewed in detail our security procedures and protocols in case of emergencies. I would like to thank Chief Todd Bucholtz and Deputy Ryan Swartz for their guidance and the great amount of time they’ve spent working with us. This year HBCS has meet with local law enforcement officers on multiple occasions to update current practices for emergencies including; response to active shooter, response to “soft lockdown” within classrooms, and response for “soft lockdowns” building level. Unfortunately, no amount of preparation is an absolute guarantee, yet we’ll continue to learn and make changes to provide safety for all students and staff at all times. 

Please know that we are not only working on the practice of security in our “actions” in emergencies, but also in our buildings themselves. I am also proud to announce we are making physical changes to our building to provide more security. This summer our district will be remodeling the K-8 Office Entryway and High School Office Entryway. We are creating new “forced office entries” at both locations. Visitors will continue to be “buzzed in” using the video buzz in system. However, construction at the entryways will result in new doors that force buzzed in visitors to go into the office. No longer will visitors who are buzzed in be walking directly into the building, instead they will be literally forced into an office. This change will provide us the opportunity to add another layer of time and protection for our students. As Mr. Swartz and Mr. Bucholtz will attest, every second we save and every person we double check could be a incident averted or a life saved. 

It may also be important to note we are also funding significant changes to video security systems and upgrades in our internal announcements systems. These too should help greatly with student safety. 

It is my hope that this approach: updated practices and procedures for staff combined with physical changes to the building will result in a safe and secure learning environment for all students and peace of mind for parents. 

Thank you so much for allowing us to service your children. It is a pleasure to be a part of their lives. 

Sincerely,
Dr. Shawn Bishop, Superintendent