Career Pathways

THIS REQUEST IS FOR METAL DETECTORS AND AN ADDITIONAL PANIC BUTTON AT CAREER PATHWAYS, A SMALL PUBLIC CHARTER SECONDARY SCHOOL IN MINNESOTA. "CAREER PATHWAYS WORKS TO INCLUDE UNDER SERVED AND DISENFRANCHISED STUDENTS WHO DON'T ACHIEVE WELL IN TRADITIONAL SETTINGS, BUT WHO WILL FLOURISH IN THIS UNIQUE MULTI-AGE/MULTI-GRADED ENVIRONMENT WHICH PROMOTES APPLICATION OF LEARNING. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT ALL STUDENTS LEARN BETTER WHEN THEY EXPERIENCE THE REAL-LIFE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE JOB." (CAREER PATHWAYS MISSION STATEMENT) CAREER PATHWAYS IS AN INDEPENDENT PUBLIC CHARTER SECONDARY SCHOOL IN ST. PAUL MINNESOTA THAT PROVIDES 3 KINDS OF LEARNING: PERSONALIZED, EXPERIENTIAL, AND BLENDED. THEY ENROLL STUDENTS IN GRADES 6 TO 12 FROM THE ST. PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS AREA. CURRENT ENROLLMENT IS 120 STUDENTS. STUDENTS REPRESENT THE FOLLOWING DEMOGRAPHICS: 10% ASIAN, 9% HISPANIC, 69% BLACK (INCLUDES BOTH AFRICAN AMERICAN AND AFRICAN IMMIGRANT), 12% WHITE. APPROXIMATELY 30% ARE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS, 87% QUALIFY FOR FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH, 20% SPECIAL EDUCATION, AND 5% HOMELESS. THE COVID 19 WORLD PANDEMIC AND THE NEARBY MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD IN MINNEAPOLIS, ADDED TRAUMA TO THE LIVES OF YOUTH IN OUR CITIES. WITH THIS TRAUMA CAME AN INCREASE OF FEAR, GANGS, CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR AND ILLEGAL GUN POSSESSION. SCHOOL SHOOTINGS HAVE INCREASED ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES AS MORE GUNS GET INTO THE HANDS OF YOUTH. DURING THE PAST 5 MONTHS ST. PAUL POLICE HAVE REPORTED OVER 10 GUN INCIDENTS IN AREA PUBLIC SCHOOLS. CAREER PATHWAYS SCHOOL COMMUNITY IS AFRAID AND WANTS A SAFER LEARNING AND TEACHING SPACE FOR ITS STAFF AND STUDENTS. STAFF AND FAMILIES BELIEVE THAT ADDING A WALK THROUGH WEAPON DETECTOR TO THE STUDENT MORNING ARRIVAL / CAFE ENTRANCE WILL DETER GUNS AND KNIVES IN THE SCHOOL. SAFETY AND SECURITY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN IMPORTANT TO CAREER PATHWAYS. AS EARLY AS 2015 THEY HAD VIDEO SURVEILLANCE THROUGHOUT THE FIRST FLOOR AND IN THE UPPER LEVEL HALLWAYS. IN 2017 WHEN THEY MOVED TO A NEWER BUILDING THEY INSTALLED 20 VIDEO CAMERAS THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL. LAST YEAR THE SCHOOL INCREASED SCHOOL SECURITY AGAIN BY ADDING 10 MORE CAMERAS, 2 LOCKING GATES, AND VESTIBULES TO THREE ENTRANCES. THE STUDENT MORNING ARRIVAL / CAFE ENTRANCE HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS NEEDING A WALK THROUGH WEAPON DETECTOR AND A PANIC BUTTON.. THIS PROJECT WOULD FUND THE FREIGHT, COST AND INSTALLATION OF A WEAPON DETECTOR. IT WOULD ALSO PROVIDE THE ADDITIONAL FUNDING NEEDED TO INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL PANIC BUTTON.