What A School Safety Director Really Does

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From Summer GALE in Jekyll Island, Georgia, we sit down with Sabrina Smith, safety director for Valdosta City Schools, to get specific about what school safety looks like at the district level. Sabrina explains how her background as a former police officer and early work as a school resource officer led her into a role focused on proactive prevention. We talk about the practical side of K-12 school safety, including compliance with Georgia law around safety drills, how campus procedures reduce risk, and why safety work has to align with educational leadership instead of operating in a separate silo.

Website: spotlight4success.com 

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_01 (00:06):
Welcome to Spotlight for Success at the American Book
Company.
I'm your host, Derek Fentozi,and here we are at Summer Gale
in Jekyll Island, Georgia.
Today we have our special guest,Sabrina Smith, and she is the
safety director for for ValdastaCity Schools, and we're so
thankful to have you out heretoday.

SPEAKER_00 (00:21):
Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_01 (00:22):
Yeah, so what brings you here to Gale?

SPEAKER_00 (00:24):
I am here.
I'm the safety director for theValdasta City Schools District.
So this gives me an opportunityto come and learn about the
different things and theeducational aspect because my
focus really is on safety.
So understanding the differentportions of what educational
leadership in Georgia is helpsme to be able to support those
efforts.

SPEAKER_01 (00:45):
Okay.
That's interesting.
So what does the day in the lifeof a safety director look like?

SPEAKER_00 (00:50):
Making sure that our students and our staff are safe,
our visitors are safe.
It includes making sure we'recomplying with Georgia law
regarding safety drills,ensuring the doors are closed
and locked during instruction tomitigate any risk of any safety
issues that happen on campus.
So that goes from prior to thebell, first bell ringing in the

(01:11):
morning to the last athleticevent at the at the late hour of
the night.
So from that, it's a very broadperspective of what safety is.
Absolutely.
And um, how'd you get into thisposition?
Well, I was um I'm a formerpolice officer.
I'm still a certified policeofficer.
Thank you for your service.
Thank you.
Um I did uh 16 years with myprevious employer, and then

(01:33):
there was an opportunity to cometo be a safety director for the
school district.
So it's a change of pace.
I was a school resource officerat the very beginning of my
career and have always um beenattached to the school district
in Valosta where I serve.
And so the opportunity to comeover and be focused on being
proactive with safety andimpacting the lives of our

(01:54):
students before they get intoany trouble.
So um that is the the truly thepurpose of the move, and I think
it it furthers the mission ofour school district as well to
have someone who is dedicated tothe safety aspect of education.

SPEAKER_01 (02:09):
For sure.
I love your message, and you'redefinitely qualified for that
position.
For sure.
And um, so tell me a little bitabout what uh Valdasta City
Schools are about.
I don't really know much aboutthem.

SPEAKER_00 (02:19):
Yeah, we're located in uh South Georgia.
We sit on the really on theFlorida Georgia line, right down
Interstate 75, take you straightthrough.
Uh but we have about uh 8,500students.
Uh we have about uh maybe two orthree thousand staff.
I can't remember the exactnumber.
But um we're known as Tidal TownUSA.
We have the winningest footballuh team.

SPEAKER_01 (02:41):
I've heard their football team, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (02:42):
In the nation.
But not only that, I think a lotof people they focus
specifically on athletics, butwe we truly have an academic
prowess as well.
We have our IB program, A Bprograms, we have debate teams
who are like state champions oresports, we're state champions
in the state.

SPEAKER_01 (03:00):
Esports, wow.
Yeah, get to play the videogames.
They win in everything, oh man.

SPEAKER_00 (03:04):
So we're we're we're centered like again in a we're
in a city, urban city school,and so we have students who have
you know a certain level ofpoverty.
So to be able to um besuccessful with the perception
of the students that we have,and to succeed both academically

(03:25):
and athletically says a lotabout our teachers, our staff,
and our district.

SPEAKER_01 (03:30):
So wow.
Save some titles for the rest ofus.
My goodness.
Wow.

SPEAKER_00 (03:34):
We might, we might, we might.

SPEAKER_01 (03:36):
Wow.
And um, are there any last wordsyou have for the Gale community?

SPEAKER_00 (03:40):
Yeah, it's a great opportunity to be here.
Thank you for allowing other umsupport personnel to be here,
the networking, the um theatmosphere, the environment, the
encouragement, and themotivation to make the next
school year the best schoolyear.
So it's a great opportunity tobe among these professionals.

SPEAKER_01 (04:00):
Absolutely.
Well, thank you for coming on,Sabrina.
Yes, sir, and peace out.

SPEAKER_00 (04:04):
Thank you.