School Safety

PHS Head of Security

My name is Dennis Moore and I am the Palmer HS Lead Security guard. I have been here at Palmer for over 18 years. I really enjoy my job and the students. I will pass on some good points to remember if you choose to attend Palmer HS.

Please be prepared for the following:

We have a large campus (1500 students) and moving in the halls can be slow. There are two gyms with one that is a block east of the main campus. There are also 3 floors with elevators that students are not aloud to use unless approved by the front office. You will be issued a school ID so please be sure to keep it on you at ALL times. Even take a picture of it on your cell phone!! Always keep your belongings secure, we are not responsible for lost or stolen personal items. Go to class, do not be late to class or skip, we will be watching. If you have any questions, please ask any security guard you see in the halls. Welcome and I hope to see you soon!

Dennis Moore - Palmer HS Lead Security Officer

At Palmer High School, student safety is one of our top priorities (tied with excellence in academics)! Currently, we have six full time security guards, with four being certified to carry firearms. Additionally, we have a full time School Resource Officer, employed through the Colorado Springs Police Department, assigned to our school. These departments are coupled with our two Dean of Students who look after the well-being, safety and discipline of student conduct. 

There are two entrances into the main building of Palmer High School, with one located facing Nevada Avenue and the other facing Weber Street. Each entrance is staffed by PHS Security Guards and any guest coming into Palmer High School must check in with our Security Department before they can proceed through the building. Furthermore, all students are required to scan their Student ID each time they enter or re-enter the main building. Students, staff and guests may only enter and exit from those two locations during the school day.

Security staff are also located in our Small Gym building and down at Erps Gym (our large gym). Here students and staff may only enter and exit from two designated doors. All other entrances to our three buildings are locked and armed with alarms to notify staff if they are opened.

Security Personnel Training

Campus security officers are co-managed by building principals and district security.  These staff members help principals enforce the student conduct and discipline code, assist students in dealing with conflict and instances of sexual or racial harassment, monitor the campus for unwanted visitors and signs of danger or criminal activity.  They provide security at athletic and other special events.  All campus security officers receive approximately 40 hours of training in crisis prevention, first aid, CPR, recognition of racial and sexual harassment, school law and juvenile law before being placed at a school.

Additionally, the School Security Department provides training to security staff and other school and district personnel in bully prevention, dealing with difficult adolescents, crisis management, gang recognition and interdiction, workplace violence, crime prevention, threat assessment and general school safety.  

Student Concerns 

Aligning with our mission of ensuring student safety at Palmer High School. We teach and encourage our students to report any concerns related to safety, well-being of a peer or illegal activity to the nearest adult staff member. Once reported, school administrators, counselors and any necessary staff are immediately notified to address the situation.

As standard throughout all Colorado primary, secondary and higher education facilities. PHS staff members are mandatory reporters who are obligated by law to report known or suspected incidents of child abuse and/or neglect, as well as if they suspect a student may cause harm to others or themselves or if an illegal activity has taken place.


Safe to Tell

Safe2Tell is a safe, anonymous way to report information students have about a safety concern 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Safe2Tell is a Colorado Prevention Initiative for School Safety. At Palmer High School we encourage all students to report threatening, harmful, illegal or safety concerns to Safe to Tell immediately. These concerns or threats can relate to a particular student, to a student's friends, family, or community. 

By reaching out to Safe2Tell, a student can help someone who is struggling. If your desire is to protect, prevent, or help, send in your report. If you’re unsure whether you should send in a report or not, and you are making a report to protect, prevent, or help, send it in.

All reports are sent immediately to PHS School Administrators and local enforcement agencies.

Reports can be submitted by calling 1-877-542-SAFE (7233), going to the website https://safe2tell.org/ OR downloading the Safe2Tell App on your devices App Store (Android or iPhone is supported).

Inclusion at Palmer High School

At Palmer High School we choose to accept and include all students for who they are. Every student deserves to feel a sense of belonging, valued for their experiences and have their voice heard. That spirit of inclusion allows us to have better conversations, feel good about ourselves, our jobs and each other. At PHS, our counselors have put together a variety of support groups that can help students with various struggles related to mental health, well-being and inclusion. PHS also has numerous student run organizations that focus on acceptance and advocacy of needs. These groups include but are not limited to Key Club, the Sexuality and Gendered Acceptance Club, Students Working Against Tobacco, Grupo Hispanidad, Restorative Justice Council, Students in Action and Rise Past the Roots. Through these student organizations, and our other clubs/groups at PHS, we hope to build a safe environment for all. 

Restorative Practices

Restorative Practices (RP) is a philosophy and practice based on the idea of taking responsibility for actions that have hurt or harmed someone else and/or yourself. Rather than focus on punishment and isolation from the community, RP focuses on meaningful accountability which includes actively engaging in understanding what harms have been done, what needs have arisen as a result of the harms caused, and how to repair those harms. The values of RP include respect, truthfulness, self-control, self-discipline, acceptance, dependability, responsibility, and accountability.

The vision of Palmer RP is to create a safer school, greater student respect, authentic and meaningful accountability, and to alter the outcomes of disciplinary referrals that might have otherwise ended in more serious offenses leading to suspension, expulsion or a referral to the court system. 

By using RP, we strive to help students and staff see that making a bad choice does not mean one is a bad person. We want them to know what they did yesterday and what they do today does make a difference--to themselves, to those harmed, to their families, and the school community. Coming face-to-face with the person one has harmed takes tremendous courage, and those that go through a Restorative Justice facilitation know they will walk away from the experience with new tools to deal effectively with future conflict situations. In a facilitated conference, those involved talk about the many ripples of harm the behavior has caused not only to each other but to the school community, to their families, and ultimately themselves. The process helps them understand that although they can't undo what they did, they can, and do, have a responsibility to repair, as much as possible, the harm they have caused.

Restorative Practices positively change the culture and the dynamics of conflict resolution by using restorative dialogue skills. These skills include asking questions that elicit different types of information, active nonjudgmental listening, reframing, setting a respectful tone, define ground rules for the conversation, the use of silence, allowing for emotion, encouraging responses from participants, and crafting an agreement.

RP can be used in the following situations:

Restorative Justice Coordinator at PHS: Laura Beth Waltz | laura.waltz@d11.org