Summers also provided training to students and their parents about Internet safety. This was particularly necessary when the district issued laptop computers to all of its middle school students.
“What a challenge,” he exclaims. “I wish parents would monitor their kids better. When we started issuing Netbooks, I went to all of the middle schools and met with the kids and parents and shared with them the dos and don’ts. ‘This is what’s going to happen if you send a nude picture of yourself to your boyfriend. You think he’s going to keep it, and he gives it to his buddy. All of you can get into big trouble.’”
Indeed, the students could wind up being accused of distributing child pornography.
Another legal issue that has been the focus of Summers is child custody. This issue has been responsible for a significant portion of the security challenges on campus.
“In training I stress that where both parents are not in the home, it is vital we have copies of court orders on file and that we check those orders and make reasonable and rational decisions based on the facts we know at the time before releasing children,” he claims. “Recent changes in local court practice concerning the paternity affidavit have complicated things. Parents often fail to understand the importance we place on court orders and the need for parents to supply the orders to us.”
Additionally, some parents still don’t understand the importance of signing in before they enter a campus.
Students Reap the Benefits of Improved Safety
Despite the challenges that some adults pose, many more approve of Summers’ efforts at EVSC. They especially appreciate how he interacts with children on a one-on-one basis.
“Gerald stepped up to help our high school junior realize the problems he was creating for himself,” say Mark and Rosi Weatherwax, who are parents of an EVSC student. “Christopher was with the wrong crowd and losing himself. Gerald talked with him as a friend but also as a professional who could reason with Chris and help him see the mistakes he was making. We believe that the time Gerald spent with Christopher, the familiar nods in the hallway of the high school and the simple but effective awareness that [Gerald] was watching played a significant role in Christopher moving away from those friends and finding his way to a better future.”
Most importantly, Summers’ work allows the children in his care to feel safe and secure.
“I know I am safe at my school because Mr. Gerald helps loo
k after the school and me,” says Samuel, a second grader at West Terrace School. “He really cares about me and all the kids at my school.”
The Summers File
Name: Gerald Eugene Summers
Title: Director of Safety and Security
District: Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. (EVSC) is located in the southwestern corner of Indiana (Vanderburgh County) and is the third largest school district in the state. It is comprised of 42 buildings with nearly 23,000 students and approximately 3,000 faculty and staff. More than 50% of EVSC students receive free or reduced-fee lunches and text books. Nearly a quarter (23%) receive special education services, and 22% are minorities. Thirty different languages are spoken at EVSC campuses.
Previous Experience: City of Evansville police officer, 1975-1980; special agent with the L&N Railroad, 1980-1983; security officer and supervisor of yards and grounds and general services for Bristol Myers Squibb, 1983-1994; coordinator of security and safety and then director of security and safety for Welborn Baptist Hospital, 1994-2001; Vanderburgh County Superior Court juvenile probation officer, 2001-2006; member and then president of the EVSC board of trustees, 12 years.
Department: Summers is the sole employee of his department; however, eight sworn and armed SROs are assigned to the schools by the Evansville City Police Department and Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office.
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