GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Green Bay school officials will be hosting a series of webinars in January in regards to ongoing safety concerns. District officials say they want to expand educational opportunities to parents and guardians. The Green Bay School District is finding ways to address safety concerns after social media threats made against Preble High School and a gun found at East High School have caused major concerns for parents.
“Well, I’m so nervous. It’s terrible. I work all day. My daughter is here alone,” said a Green Bay East parent.
In addition to switching middle and high schools to virtual learning temporarily before winter break, the district will be hosting three webinars over different topics for parents to get more information.
“The more we can educate not only our students and staff, but also our community and our parents, the better position we will be in moving forward,” said GBAPSD Deputy Superintendent Vicki Bayer.
The first webinar on Jan. 12 will focus on the district’s safety and security protocols. While students and staff are regularly reminded, the district wants parents to be too.
“We recognize the third piece is our parents who don’t go through the training on a monthly basis like we do at the school,” said Bayer. “So it gives our parents an opportunity to hear what our protocols are and ask questions. I think the more they know the more comfortable they would be on how we handle the situation.”
Another webinar will focus on mental health, reminding parents of the resources schools offer and how to talk about these situations with children. A third one will cover social media, which Bayer says is important for parents to be involved in.
“The one thing we can’t stop as a school district is students use of social media. Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, we can’t control that, but our parents can,” said Bayer. “And as you know often times technology changes so rapidly that our parents, it’s hard to keep up on that, but we can.”
All three webinars will be recorded for parents who are unable to attend. The district says more information will be sent to families after the school’s winter break.
