Cincinnati, OH (August 8, 2018) — All public school districts are required to meet state and federal safety training mandates, however, this can be difficult for districts with limited staff or budgets. To help small districts in Kansas meet training mandates, PublicSchoolWORKS has created an abbreviated catalog of online staff training courses called the Small District Managed Training Program. Districts in Kansas with less than 100 employees qualify for the program and its reduced rate through a partnership with the Southwest Plains Regional Service Center (SWPRSC).
“The Small District Managed Training Program provides small districts with access to high-quality safety training at a reasonable rate,” said Mike Ronen, Chief Financial Officer at Southwest Plains Regional Service Center. “Without it, these districts may not have the ability to create and implement comprehensive training programs for staff.”
The SWPRSC serves 81 districts across Kansas, many of which are extremely rural and experience staff shortages. One employee may serve as the superintendent and principal while teachers often teach multiple subjects and grade levels. Such a limited staff makes it difficult for administration to provide and manage training programs, which may result in non-compliance, and, more importantly, increased risk for the district, its staff, and students.
Instead of paying for the full PublicSchoolWORKS’ managed training program that is economical for larger districts, qualifying districts can register through the SWPRSC to be a part of the small district program. Once a small district registers, they have access to a limited number of courses, such as Jason Flatt Act-compliant suicide prevention courses and “Bloodborne Pathogens for School Employees,” so districts can meet state and federal training requirements. The catalog also includes popular non-mandated courses that promote safe practices such as “Ladder Safety” and “Discriminatory Harassment – Identification and Response.”
“There is great value being provided to help our small districts,” said Ronen. “They can now provide staff with critical training without taking time away from their regular duties and can easily ensure everyone completes training. It is taking a load off of districts because it is managed for them. All they have to do is register for the program, get it set up with PublicSchoolWORKS, and start completing courses. It’s that easy.”
Once enrolled, the PublicSchoolWORKS Staff Training System auto-emails employees to take their training courses, which they can access at anytime, anywhere. If training is not completed leading up to the deadline, employees receive automated reminders to complete their training and designated administrators receive a report of employees who have not completed training so they can follow up directly. All training transcripts are saved online in the PublicSchoolWORKS system, which makes it easy to reference all training.
“We are proud to collaborate with the Southwest Plains Regional Service Center to increase access to quality safety training for small Kansas districts that before might have felt it was cost prohibitive,” said Tom Strasburger, Vice President of Strategic Alliances at PublicSchoolWORKS. “Our vision is to enhance school safety by developing innovative programs that completely address specific safety needs or requirements, and we’re excited to see SWPRSC help its districts on the path toward making these goals a reality.”
To learn more about the Small District Managed Training Program, visit: go.publicschoolworks.com/sdmtp. Kansas districts who qualify for the program can contact Mike Ronen to register.
About PublicSchoolWORKS
Since 2000, PublicSchoolWORKS safety compliance management solutions have focused on helping schools easily meet ever-changing compliance requirements, improve staff and student safety, cut costs associated with risk, and reduce administrator and staff time and effort. PublicSchoolWORKS is the only, complete K12 safety compliance management program created by and for schools, and is proud to provide districts with award-winning technology and support recognized by North American educators. For more information on how PublicSchoolWORKS can improve district safety programs, contact 1-877-779-6757 or sales@publicschoolworks.com.
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