School Safety Among Teachers' Top Priority On First Day Of Philadelphia School District New Teacher Training
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia School District is welcoming 650 new teachers and counselors this week. A weeklong orientation began Monday and school safety is part of what they're talking about after mass shootings in Texas and Ohio.
New and returning teachers and counselors are participating in the weeklong orientation at Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush Public Magnet High School in Northeast Philadelphia.
The training comes on the heels of two mass shootings. At least 20 people were shot and killed at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. Another nine people were gunned down in Dayton, Ohio over the weekend.
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Among the training sessions, one topic that will be discussed is trauma-informed care.
"We do a significant amount of training particularly with administrators and principals and it's done in conjunction with our school police and Philadelphia Police Department," Dr. William Hite said. "We have protocols for emergency situations, we also have lockdowns we will go into if needed. Many time those lockdowns are called by Philadelphia police. There is a lot of training that goes into the declaration of a lockdown or other emergency situations."
The new hires will get a copy of "Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain." Themes from the book will focus on the importance of equity.
The new school year starts on Sept. 3.
