In one of the numerous controversial and contradictory emails the Aurora Public Schools District sent out to staff this week, it was stated that “your safety, as well as that of our students, remains our top priority.” However, if the “pillar of safety” was the district’s top priority instead of its appearance, students would not have been in school this week.
Before this latest debacle APS students were already feeling vulnerable, but now those feelings are intensified with our district currently experiencing an unprecedented internet outage, leaving APS’s student information and security systems inaccessible. This outage is affecting nearly every aspect of school operations, from security to the inability to access key resources for classes. The internet went down early Monday morning, and the district claims it is working to resolve the issue and resume normal learning as soon as possible.
Teachers must now adapt their entire curriculum to a challenging, no-internet learning environment. Although a two-hour delay was announced for the rest of the week to allow teachers time to plan and print materials, the district has failed to fully address the security risks resulting from the outage. The district revealed that suspicious activity was detected in the system, potentially compromising every student’s personal information. This poses serious risks to the safety and security of all APS students. Yet, the district has not commented further on this issue, and it appears they are withholding crucial information from students and families.
In addition to the information system issues, the district’s security infrastructure also heavily relies on the internet, leaving many systems non-functional. The Raider Review discovered that the only cameras the district can currently access are those at the front entrance. Despite increased staff presence, this leaves many areas of the schools unmonitored, creating a significant liability for APS. If an incident were to occur, the district would be unable to investigate or identify those involved, a scenario that could have dire consequences. APS is in direct violation of its own policies, which state that “during regular school hours, the flow of traffic into and out of buildings shall be monitored to the extent consistent with student safety.” However, only a few entrances and exits are being monitored, leaving students vulnerable and feeling very unsafe.
Further concerns arose this week when a student at an APS K-8 school suffered a medical emergency and had to be taken to the hospital. Due to the outage, the school nurses were unable to access emergency contact information, and the student’s parents were not informed in a timely manner. Families should not have to worry about their children’s safety in this way.
These issues have raised serious questions about APS’s priorities in handling this situation. Student safety is at risk, yet there has been little effort to prevent further incidents. Communications from the district to staff have been insufficient, offering little reassurance about the security and safety of students and staff. Our district already faces significant safety challenges, and this current vulnerability only exacerbates those risks. The lack of clear communication and action exacerbated by the superintendent’s absence at a conference has created an environment of uncertainty and fear.
This week has been chaotic and stressful for both staff and students, with little done to alleviate the distress. Security and safety must never be sacrificed to protect a reputation. If an incident occurs, APS would be fully accountable for neglecting its responsibility to safeguard students. Students deserve to feel protected and prioritized, yet the handling of this situation has done the opposite.
A learning environment needs to provide security and comfort in order for students to thrive and these circumstances are preventing students from having that. Asynchronous learning could have been a way more productive and safe option this week. APS needs to do better and give precedence to safety over its appearance.
