Lawrence Public Schools
All Students. One Team.
Hello, Lawrence Public Schools Community,
As we wrap up the first six weeks of school and fall has arrived, we are grateful to see students and staff settled into the rhythms and routines of learning and growing together. Elementary schools have hosted curriculum nights and back-to-school events, held their first parent organization and site council meetings, and started offering marathon, garden, and other student clubs. Our middle and high schools continue to draw big crowds at athletic, fine arts, and enrichment activities and events. Thank you to our entire school community. Together, we are working to ensure learning, belonging, and well-being for every child, every day.
School Safety
There is no higher priority in our schools than the safety of students and staff. Schools across the country, including ours, have been dealing with an uptick in threats and rumors of violence.
I appreciate Lawrence Police Chief Rich Lockhart joining me in creating the video message you will find below. We will share this message with our middle and high school students at school. I’m sending it to you in advance to request your assistance. Please watch it and reinforce with your children at home the seriousness of making threats and spreading rumors and the importance of immediately reporting safety concerns to an adult at school. Safety is our shared responsibility.
Fall Community Engagement
What are our best hopes and dreams for the future of our children? No one knows our school system’s strengths and areas for improvement better than all who make up our school community and the partners who support our work. As we move forward in planning for the future, we want to hear from you! See the October 8 invitation below or visit www.usd497.org/Superintendent for a growing schedule of opportunities to come together this fall in community conversations and to participate in a survey. We will share a full report of what we hear and learn from you and how it will guide the future direction of our schools with the school board and community in December-January.
Guidance for Cell Phone Use in Schools
The presence of cell phones in schools and the impact of social media on the mental health of children are frequent topics of conversation and concern here and across the country. You may want to review this Surgeon General Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health. To support the health and well-being of our students and ensure our critical teaching and learning mission, we will be working with all members of our school community in the coming weeks to clarify our shared expectations around the use of cell phones at school. Thank you for engaging with us in these conversations. We plan a full implementation of clarified guidance across our schools in January.
School Celebrations
We have so much to celebrate in our schools! I invite you to engage with me @LPSSuperSwift on X (Twitter) and follow @Lawrence Public Schools on Facebook and @usd497 on Instagram and YouTube for real-time updates. Visit our website for more news and celebrations at www.usd497.org/News and www.usd497.org/PointsofPride.
High-quality public schools are an outcome of committed, engaged communities. I am grateful for our work together to support all students and the beautiful school community we share.
Sincerely,
Jeanice Kerr Swift
Interim Superintendent of Schools
Lawrence Public Schools
You're Invited!
Join Superintendent Swift from 6:00-7:30 p.m. October 8 at Billy Mills Middle School
We want to hear about your personal and family experiences in Lawrence Public Schools.
- In what areas are we doing well and should continue to strengthen?
- In what areas do we have opportunities for improvement?
- What do you see as the top priorities as we move forward together this year?
New Safety Tool
Our schools will begin implementing Hall Pass in October. This visitor identification system enhances our existing security measures and proactively safeguards students and staff from potential dangers.
On a first visit to a school using Hall Pass, visitors will present an official form of identification or provide their name and birthdate. The Hall Pass system will take their photo and use this information to search national sexual offender databases. Hall Pass prints a time-and-date stamped photo badge for visitors cleared to enter the school. Nonauthorized visitors will be asked to leave the campus.
School Calendar Check
The first quarter of the school year ends October 10. Our teachers and staff look forward to meeting with families about student progress during conferences the week of October 14.
Reminders:
October 11
No School for All Students
October 17
Only High Schools in Session;
No School for Early Childhood,
Elementary, & Middle School
Students
October 18
No School for All Students
A Great Professional Learning Day
Our early childhood and elementary teachers came together to continue to perfect their professional practice in timely and meaningful sessions aligned with the theme, "Be the Educator Your Students Need You to Be" on September 18. We appreciate our school families' support of our teachers having this time, which they used wisely and will now apply in their classrooms to benefit their students.
Virtual School Day in the Park
Lawrence Virtual School elementary staff, students, and families connected during a Day at the Park September 13 in South Park. Families traveled from near and far to meet their teachers and best friends face-to-face. Families shared powerful testimonials about their appreciation for the wonderful LVS staff and having this high-quality virtual education option for their children.