Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation is enhancing security measures across the board with the installation of the Raptor Visitor Management System, a software-based security check-in process used at schools across the country.

Each school within the corporation – Tippecanoe Valley High School, Tippecanoe Valley Middle School, Mentone Elementary and Akron Elementary – are now using the Raptor system in place of paper sign-in sheets.

The Raptor system will perform basic background checks on each visitor to these schools. The background check will scan registered sex offender databases in all 50 states and will also search for any sort of restrictive orders that would prevent someone from being on school grounds or coming in contact with children.

“Our hopes are to have another layer of security for kids and create a safe and secure environment above what is already in place for our schools. Raptor is providing the type of information we wouldn’t have access to otherwise,” said Jon Hutton, assistant principal at TVHS.

Visitors who have not yet checked in through the Raptor system must first do so through the secretary in each building’s main office. The secretary will take the visitor’s state-issued identification card, a driver’s license for example, and scan it. A basic background check will then be performed. If the check clears, a stick-on badge will print for the visitor.

The next time that person visits a school, he or she will only have to scan their driver’s license at the front kiosk instead of with the secretary, and indicate on the computer a reason for entering the school. If the background check clears, the system will again automatically print a badge. Any visit in the future will follow this same process.

If a visitor’s background check does not clear, the system will automatically send an alert to a school administrator. The administrator will meet with the visitor to address the issue and decide whether or not to allow the visitor to enter the building.

Once a person’s visit is complete, he or she will check out through the Raptor system by scanning their driver’s license again at the kiosk in the school’s main office. A badge will be printed for each future visit and the same badge cannot be used for multiple visits.

“The ink on the badge is actually temporary and will begin to fade after about eight hours,” said Hutton.

The Raptor system is for day visits only and does not take the place of the extended background check for people going on fieldtrips or working with children in an unsupervised capacity.

“Any adult who is going on field trips off school grounds will still need to complete the background check that has been a part of our corporation policy for the last several years,” said Hutton.

People attending large events during the school day are encouraged to come in beforehand for the initial check-in, so all he or she would have to do the day of the event is walk in and scan their driver’s license.

“It’s all about the safety of the kids and the teachers. It really is,” said Keith Lang, director of technology for the school corporation.

According to the Raptor Technologies’ website, the system has identified and alerted officials to more than 50,000 sex offenders attempting to enter schools and has issued more than 250,000 custody alerts. A safety and security matching grant paid for part of the Raptor system implementation at Tippecanoe Valley.

The Tippecanoe Valley High School student council and the American Red Cross will host a community blood drive on Friday, September 15, from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the high school gymnasium.

The blood drive is open to anyone who meets the donor requirements outlined by the American Red Cross. Anyone interested in donating blood can go online to www.redcrossblood.org and register using the zip code 46910. You can also register by emailing Crystal Heckaman, student council sponsor, at [email protected].

“There is a huge shortage right now with all the natural disasters that have hit and blood drives that were subsequently cancelled. We would love for the community to come donate and help save lives,” said Heckaman.

According to the American Red Cross, a blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

The eight members of this year’s Tippecanoe Valley Distinguished Alumni Class of 2017 were recently honored for their outstanding accomplishments since graduating from high school.

Distinguished alumni are graduates of Tippecanoe Valley High School or any of the district’s prior high schools – Akron, Beaver Dam, Burket, Mentone and Talma. Distinguished alumni may be living or deceased and have led successful lives while making substantial contributions to their chosen field of work or have provided outstanding service to their community, state, or country.

The eight-member Class of 2017 includes Mike Biddle (TVHS – ’96), Craig Brouyette (TVHS – ’93), Wayne Cumberland (Beaver Dam HS – ’58), Jose Jurado (TVHS – ’09), Ashley Lindenmier (TVHS – ’04), Dan Tucker (TVHS – ’91), Teresa Petrosky Wallace (TVHS – ’78), and Rodney Williams (Mentone HS – ’72).

Each were honored during a formal dinner at Tippecanoe Valley Middle School on Sept. 7. Following the dinner, the inductees spoke about an educator, or educators, that had a significant impact on their life.

Induction Day activities followed on Friday, Sept. 8th, at Tippecanoe Valley High School. The day opened with a welcome breakfast followed by each inductee making four presentations to groups of freshmen through seniors, in which they shared their high school, career and life experiences.

“The students realized that earning their diploma, through hard work and by taking advantage of the many opportunities available to them, was an important initial step in the successful life of each inductee,” said Superintendent Brett Boggs.

The inductees were also available to speak with individuals and small groups of students during lunch. They were then introduced and presented a plaque at halftime of the home football game later that evening.

Nominations are being accepted for the Tippecanoe Valley Distinguished Alumni Class of 2018. Anyone who would like to submit a nomination may obtain a nomination form from any Tippecanoe Valley school, the administration office, or the Tippecanoe Valley website. Nominations can also be submitted online through the Tippecanoe Valley website.

Photo front row left to right: Wayne Cumberland, Ashley Lindenmier, Teresa Petrosky Wallace, Jose Jurado. Back row left to right: Craig Brouyette, Mike Biddle, Rodney Williams, Dan Tucker

The Tippecanoe Valley Community Mental Health Task Force invites the public to attend an upcoming session of QPR suicide prevention training.

QPR stands for Question, Persuade and Refer – three steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. People trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade and refer someone for help.

The training session will be conducted by Huntter Randall, corporate training coordinator for the Bowen Center. Randall is a highly-skilled trainer who brings a vast background of meaningful and applicable experiences to his training sessions.

The training will take place on Tuesday, September 26, starting at 4:15 p.m. in the Large Group Instruction room at Mentone Elementary located at 301 E. Jackson Street in Mentone. There is no charge to attend. The training will last until approximately 5:30 p.m.

Anyone interested in attending the training should check in at the front office a few minutes prior to the start of the training session. All Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation staff hired since last year’s training will be required to attend.

The Tippecanoe Valley Community Mental Health Task Force is comprised of close to 50 people from several different counties, professions, businesses and non-profit agencies. The task force was formed as a result of two suicides in the Tippecanoe Valley area in December 2012.

The task force met for the first time on February 19, 2013, with the goals of providing suicide prevention training to the community including Tippecanoe Valley staff and students. Its mission is to develop strategies to both increase knowledge and provide support, while reducing the stigma of mental illness. The task force meets once a month during the school year.

Written by Superintendent Brett Boggs

According to the Mental Health Foundation, mental health problems affect about one in ten children and young people.  They include depression, anxiety, and conduct disorder and are often a direct response to what is happening in their lives.  Sadly, 70% of children and young people who experience a mental health problem have not had appropriate interventions at a sufficiently young age.

Most children grow up mentally healthy, but surveys suggest that more children and young people have problems with their mental health today than 30 years ago.  If left untreated, mental health disorders can impede all aspects of health, including emotional well-being and social development, leaving young people feeling socially isolated, stigmatized, and unable to make the most of their social, vocational, and interpersonal contributions to society.

The emotional well-being of children is just as important as their physical health.  Good mental health allows children and young people to develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and grow into well-rounded, healthy adults.

The Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation (TVSC) understands the importance of good mental health for its children and young people.  TVSC also understands we serve children and young people whose lives are negatively impacted by mental health issues.  It is for this reason that TVSC has contracted with the Bowen Center to bring a Student Assistance Program (SAP) to Tippecanoe Valley. The Tippecanoe Valley Student Assistance Program is available to all students.  The SAP is a benefit provided by Tippecanoe Valley that provides every student two free prepaid sessions of counseling at any of several Bowen Center outpatient locations.  Services may also be provided at the school if available.  There is no co-pay, deductible, or pre-authorization required.  Following the initial two counseling sessions, the parent/guardian and student may decide if they would like to continue in treatment at their own cost.  There is fee assistance available for those who qualify.

Children and young people may be referred to the Student Assistance Program by a parent/guardian, a school staff member, or the child may refer himself.  Students have access to the free counseling sessions at any time during the school year and summer break.  All sessions are private and confidential.  Parental consent is required for any child under the age of 18.

An additional counseling service available this year to Tippecanoe Valley students is the presence of a school-based therapist one day each week.  This individual is a mental health therapist who can work with students that have gone through the referral process with the school counselor and the child’s parent/guardian.

The Student Assistance Program and school-based therapist services are in addition to those already provided by Tippecanoe Valley’s five full-time school counselors and a full-time mental health therapist.

The mission of the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation is our commitment to student success through the development of character, leadership, and literacy.  TVSC’s commitment to student success is demonstrated by the provision of these programs and services designed to promote the good mental health and emotional well-being of our children and young people.

Valley Insight is a recurring monthly article written by administrators on a variety of topics related to education and the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation. Articles will be posted to the district’s website and also shared with the local media.