Hello Josey,

We are so excited to welcome every student and staff member back to our buildings in just a few days for the 2022-2023 school year! 

As we get ready for the beginning of the school year, we would like to remind you that student and staff safety and well-being are always part of District back-to-school training and preparation. Recent events across our country have caused many of us to pause and reflect upon the return to school. We want to assure you, the well-being and physical safety of everyone in our district has been and will continue to be a top priority, along with the academic success of our students. 

That commitment is represented in our new mission, which is to prepare each student for future excellence through a safe educational environment. 

One of the ways we put that mission into motion is with our School Police Department, which is a team of experts in their field who have decades of collective experience in law enforcement. They continue their training and education throughout the year, then share valuable knowledge with our students and staff. You'll hear more about those connection and prevention efforts in the video message below from Scott Umbarger, Director of School Police.

Officer Umbarger and I recently met with leaders from the City of Republic, including Chief of Police Brian Sells, Mayor Matt Russell and City Administrator David Cameron, who can all be seen in the photo above. Our discussion centered around our collaboration on a number of matters, including safety and security. We look forward to building on that partnership in the months and years to come. 

We don't take for granted the trust you put into our teachers and staff as you send your students to our schools for their education. Thank you for your continued support of the Republic School District and for taking the time to learn more about our safety efforts. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Matt Pearce

Superintendent, Republic School District

Our School Police Department is growing! For the 2022-2023 school year, we'll be adding the following positions:

• An additional School Resource Officer
• School Safety Specialist

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.

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.
• The Springfield Police Department's Special Response Team completed this training with our officers and in our buildings well. 
• Domestic Child Sex Trafficking
• Firearms Training
• Mental Health Awareness

Our district regularly reviews our safety procedures and emergency operations plans. We update those as needed during the summer months and throughout the school year. 

Department of Safety & Security

Address: 518 N. Hampton, Republic, MO 65738 

Phone: 417-732-3605