Meet Our School Resource Officers

School Resource Officers from the Westlake Police Department are housed at Westlake High School, Lee Burneson Middle School, Dover Intermediate School and Westlake Elementary School. Officers walk school hallways, interacting with students and staff to create a personal connection with local law enforcement. You can read the Memorandum of Understanding between Westlake Schools and the City of Westlake that makes this partnerships possible.

Officer Keenan Cook

• Westlake Police Officer 17 years (27 years total law enforcement)
• 11 years as a School Resource Officer/Drug Abuse Prevention Officer
• We offer lessons K through 5, and 7th grades.  K-4 lessons focus on personal safety (think Safety Town) and safe use of medications.  5th grade is the meat and potatoes of the DARE program.
• Lessons include: Introduction (to DARE), Drug Information for Responsible Decision Making, Risks and Consequences, Peer Pressure, Dealing with stressful situations, Basics of Communication, Nonverbal Communication, Bullying, Helping Others & Getting Help from Others, Being safe with Prescription (Rx)  and Over-The-Counter Medicines (OTC), and Vaping.

 

Officer Pat Foye

• School Resource Officer/Drug Abuse Prevention Officer at Lee Burneson Middle School
• Lakewood Police Department - 25 years, with assignments as Detective, Investigator and Narcotics Detective
• U.S. Army (Reserve) Retired
• WEB SWAT
• WEB negotiator

 

Officer Ted Morley

• School Resource Officer/Drug Abuse Prevention Officer at Dover Intermediate School
• Lakewood Police Department 26 years
• Westshore Enforcement Bureau (WEB) SWAT
• U.S. Marshals Service Task Force
• Community officer
• Firearms and Tactics trainer

 

 

Officer Joe Rutkowski

• 28 years total law enforcement
• School Resource Officer/Drug Abuse Prevention Officer at Westlake Elementary School
• Ohio School Resource Officers Association Member
• Crisis Intervention Certified Officer, ADAMS Board Cuyahoga County
• Westlake PD (2004-2022) P/T Patrol Officer
• Cleveland PD (2000-2018) Patrol Officer
• Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office (1994-2000) Deputy Sheriff, Narcotics Detective

 

Officer Tim Gaertner

• School Resource Officer/Westlake High School
• Cleveland Police Department 32 years
• Officer in Charge of the Cleveland Division of Police S.W.A.T. Unit
• Officer in Charge of the Cleveland Division of Police Fugitive Unit
• Task Force Officer with the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force through the U.S. Marshals Service

 

Our District Safety Committee is comprised of administrators, staff, parents and local law enforcement members who regularly review the district's safety plans.

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Our students and staff receive specific, ongoing security training that is coordinated with the Westlake Police Department. Westlake Schools use ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) training to prepare students and staff to more proactively handle the threat of an aggressive intruder or active shooter event.

Emergency drills (fire, tornado, lockdown) are conducted on a regular basis, and staff are trained in Stop the Bleed to assist in a life-threatening emergency before professional help arrives.

During the school day, all school doors are locked. Visitors are screened by requesting entrance through a buzzer system. Entrances are monitored by office personnel, who observe and ask for identification via a camera and intercom system.

Security cameras offer mostly forensic evidence, but they can also be a deterrent. To protect the integrity of our systems, we reserve some of our safety processes for internal use only, including the location of security cameras. Those cameras are monitored by office staff and building administrators, as well as our School Resource Officers.

School bus camera systems are helpful in instances of bullying or unsafe behavior. The driver's main responsibility on the bus is to safely transport the students to and from school. Security cameras can offer an additional set of eyes without requiring additional staff onboard.

The Westlake City Schools are committed to providing a safe, positive, productive and nurturing educational environment for all of its students. We encourage the promotion of positive interpersonal relations between members of the school community.

Harassment, intimidation or bullying toward a student, whether by other students, staff or others, will not be tolerated. This includes aggressive behavior, physical, verbal and psychological abuse, and violence within a dating relationship. Any gestures, comments, threats or actions that cause or threaten to cause bodily harm or personal degradation will not be tolerated.

Westlake participates in the Youth Truth Student Survey, a national school experience survey that provides districts information on trends affecting students in grades 3-12 (student engagement, student culture, academic rigor, peer and teacher relationships). The data helps educators accelerate improvements in schools and classrooms.

Our buildings promote Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Our school PBIS systems are based on virtues including respect, responsibility, integrity and empathy. These values are reinforced with assemblies and tangible student incentives.

School counselors are certified/licensed educators who improve student success for all students by implementing a comprehensive school counseling program. School counselors help students:

• Apply academic achievement strategies
• Manage emotions and apply interpersonal skills
• Plan for postsecondary options (higher education, military, workforce)

School counselors provide:

• Individual academic achievement planning and goal setting
• Classroom lessons based on student success standards
• Short-term counseling to students
• Referrals for long-term support
• Collaboration with families/teachers/administrators/community for student success
• Advocacy for students at individual education plan meetings and other student-focused meetings
• Data analysis to identify student issues, needs and challenges

All youth can face problems from time to time related to learning, social relationships, decision-making or managing emotions. School psychologists help students, families, educators and members of the community understand and resolve both long-term, chronic problems and short-term issues that students may face.

School psychologists are uniquely qualified members of school teams that support students' ability to learn and teachers' ability to teach. They have expertise in mental health, learning and behavior to help children succeed academically, socially, behaviorally and emotionally.

School psychologists partner with families, teachers, school administrators and other professionals to create safe, healthy and supportive learning environments that strengthen connections between home, school and the community.

The Westlake City Schools invested in classroom security through state safety grants awarded through the Ohio Attorney General's Office.

• Bearacade: These mechanical barriers are designed to provide a mechanical barrier for classrooms to prevent an outside intruder. They also are designed to increase critical time for law enforcement to respond to building emergencies.
• Stop the Bleed: Staff are trained in Stop the Bleed to make a difference in a life-threatening emergency. Stop the Bleed kits are being purchased for classrooms to provide access to supplies and critical tools.
• Safety Buckets: The Westshore Lions Club collected items for Safety Buckets to be placed in each classroom. Buckets include trash bags, toilet paper, paper towels, fleece blankets, bottled water and Stop the Bleed kits.

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Statistics show schools are among the safest places on a day-to-day basis due to the strong commitment of educators, parents and our community to our students. We strive to be proactive rather than reactive.

This guide outlines some of the key elements of the Westlake City Schools' state of preparedness. We hope it will answer any questions you have concerning our actions and intentions in the event an emergency occurs.

In the event of an emergency, please be assured that our school system has an emergency management plan in place, and that the school district and emergency staff will respond accordingly. We need your support and ask that you rely on communications from the school system.

To be consistent across Westlake City Schools, we developed the following list of terms to use in emergency situations.

• Lockdown: There is an internal security issue. Occupants are kept in classrooms or other secure areas. There is no movement within the building. Students will not be released during a lockdown.
• Lockout: There is an external security issue. Lockouts are used to rapidly increase the level of security in a building. Any students outside will be brought into the building, and the exterior doors and main interior doors are locked to prevent someone from gaining access to staff and students.
• Evacuation: When it is determined that it is safer to be outside the building rather than inside, occupants will be moved to another location. Staff at each building are educated and trained on the location to evacuate students to in the event of an emergency.
• Shelter-In-Place: When there is an emergency outside of the building and there is not adequate time to evacuate a building, occupants will be moved to designated areas within their building. Shelter-in-place can be used for tornados, fires, earthquakes, etc. Students will not be released during shelter-in-place.
• Reunification Site: A predetermined area where students and employees are transported due to unsafe conditions at a school site.
• Student Release Area: A location where families may pick up their children. This could be at the school location or a reunification site, depending on the situation.

• Ensure emergency contact information in Registration Gateway is accurate and current, including who is authorized to pick up your child.
• Explain to your child that cell phones should not be used during an emergency unless directed by a teacher, administrator or emergency personnel.
  • Sound, vibration or conversation could place your child in danger, and they need to pay attention to instructions from trained personnel.
• Refer to our communication systems for updates. We will use multiple channels to provide you with accurate and timely information.
  • District website - www.wlake.org
  • SchoolMessenger phone call, email or text message
  • Mobile app - Available for free download in the Apple App Store and in the Google Play Store.
  • Social media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
• If necessary, local news outlets will be contacted and asked to help broadcast important information.

• Trust that emergency personnel and the school system are doing everything necessary to protect your child, and we will communicate with you when we can.
• The first and official way to contact you in an emergency is using SchoolMessenger, our parent notification system.
• DO NOT call the school or district office. It is very important that you understand that in a crisis situation, school phones are needed to manage the situation and lines must remain open. Calling could place students and employees at risk in an intruder situation - if they do not have time to turn down the ringer, your call could potentially give away their location.
• DO NOT rush to the school. You will not be allowed on campus during an emergency. Emergency personnel responding to the situation need the area clear to do their job. After emergency responders determine that a safe student release is possible, arrangements will be made to reunite children with their families.

• You will be directed to the reunification site, and you will need photo identification.
• Students will only be released to a parent/guardian or other adults listed on the student's emergency information form, which you completed at the start of the school year.
• Please be aware that reunification can be time-consuming, and we appreciate your patience.
• It is important to remain calm as children are greatly influenced by their family's sense of well-being. Anything families can do to reassure children of their safety will be helpful. At the same time, families need to be compassionate listeners when their children speak about the crisis. Please seek help from your child's school, the school district or the community if you/your child have concerns.

When an emergency occurs at our schools, oftentimes the messages that are first circulated come from non-official sources (students text parents, parents post on social media, posts are shared, etc.). So why does it take longer for the school district to send out an official message? Here's what is going on at the district office during an emergency:

• Gathering Facts: When an emergency occurs, the school(s) and district strive to communicate factual information to the public as quickly as possible. No two situations are like and it takes time to verify details. This can involve talking to multiple parties (police, fire, families directly involved with the emergency) and this information-gathering phase takes time. Please know we're working hard to provide an accurate account of the situation.
• Limits on Information Sharing: Depending on the situation, there are times we are limited on the details we can share (privacy laws, active law enforcement investigation). It is not our intent to seem vague when we say we are unable to share specifics. Please know that we strive for proactive communication while balancing the privacy of individuals.
• Getting the Message Out: Once we have the message ready to send, we activate various communication channels (email, text messaging, phone call, website, social media posts).

We thank you for doing your part to keep the communication lines open, and for sharing accurate and factual messages with those around you.