As a new member of the Durham Public Schools family, I was required to complete a safety training course that put me on notice and reminded me that as an employee of this school district, I am responsible for the safety of the 32,000 students we’re serving. Having worked in Communications for four school districts in my career,  I‘ve remained acutely aware of the challenges that many students face at home, from abuse to hunger to homelessness. As school district employees, we are mandated– like every citizen of North Carolina–to report child abuse, neglect, or abandonment.

The mandatory training includes human trafficking awareness; child abuse identification and intervention; child abuse mandatory reporting; workplace injury prevention; bloodborne pathogen exposure prevention; and of course, a COVID-19 school health program overview.

Our commitment to our students means that we are dedicated to continuous learning and improvement.