Republic School District families and employees,

We’re excited to welcome students back to school in just a few days!

As we start the 2024-2025 school year, we want to remind our entire school community that the Republic School District's mission is to prepare each student for future excellence through a safe educational environment. The well-being of our students and staff, along with overall student success, remain our top priorities.

Our School Police team, with more than 200 years of combined law enforcement experience, plays a key role in ensuring safety. They continue to train and share knowledge with our students and staff throughout the year, including during back-to-school sessions.

We also collaborate closely with the City of Republic on safety matters. This summer, Officer Scott Umbarger, our Director of School Police, and I met with city leaders, to discuss emergency planning. We’ll continue working together on these important matters all year.

We deeply appreciate the trust you place in us. Thank you for your ongoing support of the Republic School District.

Continue reading for more information about our school safety efforts, as well as some helpful back-to-school safety tips!

Sincerely,
Dr. Matt Pearce
Superintendent, Republic School District

The highly-trained Republic School Police team is made up of seven School Resource Officers and one School Safety Coordinator. Members of the team are stationed throughout the district.

Click here to learn more about each individual team member and find contact information for them.

In addition to our School Resource Officers, every building has the following procedures in place: 

• All exterior doors remain locked.

• Every visitor is screened before entering through a secure vestibule at the front entrance.

• Every building is monitored through video surveillance inside and outside.

• Each school building practices regular safety drills.

Every summer, our School Resource Officers complete the following trainings:

• Mass Casualty Incident Response -

  The Republic Police Department also completed this training alongside our officers inside our school buildings.

• Domestic Child Sex Trafficking

• Firearms Training

• Mental Health Awareness

The Republic School District regularly reviews our safety procedures and emergency operations plans. We update those plans as needed during the summer months and throughout the school year. 

The Republic School District would like to offer families this Emergency Response Guide. The guide outlines key elements of our district's emergency plan. We hope the information will prepare families for what to expect during an urgent situation, including how our district will respond and how families will receive important updates.

We are once again asking families to not line up for pick-up or drop-off more than 15 minutes early.

Our school police and local first responders MUST be able to access our buildings in case of an emergency, and they cannot do so if vehicles are blocking the parking lot during school hours. Pick-ups and drop-offs might take a little longer than usual, but please pack your patience and arrive at your student's school no more than 15 minutes before arrival or dismissal times.

With schools opening their doors to students, we will see more traffic throughout our community and around our schools. Please be cautious, watching for student walkers and bikers, and also students waiting for, entering and exiting our buses. We also appreciate you looking out for our young drivers as they come and go to school!

Please watch for school zones and always obey speed limits. Parents of young drivers, we encourage you to remind your students to be mindful of speed limits as well, while also avoiding distractions like cell phone use while behind the wheel.

Traffic is likely to be more backed up in the first few days of school as all drivers and community members get back into the routine of the school year. While being cautious, please be kind to other drivers on the road!

"First day of school" photos are an exciting tradition for many families this time of year! When sharing these pictures on social media, no matter what your privacy settings are, it's important to protect your student's personal information.

Remember to NOT include any identifying information about your student in photos shared online, including the following:

• Age

• School name

• Teacher's name and grade

• School bus number

• Identifying features of the location (Including your house/apartment number)

See the examples below, featuring School Resource Officer Henson, which show what NOT to post versus what to post!