REPUBLIC, Mo. – The Republic, Missouri school district is continuing the focus on school safety for the 2022-2023 school year, while celebrating the opening of a new early childhood education facility.

School safety in Republic

Republic Superintendent Dr. Matt Pearce said safety has always been a priority for the district, and one way that’s displayed is by encouraging school resource officers to connect with students and teachers.

“You know, we have locking vestibules in every single school building,” said Pearce. “We try to make sure that we have our processes and procedures down so that we don’t have doors propped open and things like that. And just make sure that we do things right, not only on our behalf but also with our kids, so that we have a multifaceted approach to making sure our students and staff are safe.”

School resource officers go through training every year and officers share their knowledge with staff before the school year starts.

The district is coordinating its partnership with the City of Republic and with the Republic Police Department to coordinate emergency response efforts.

Early childhood education in Republic

Construction started in the early fall of 2021 on Republic’s early education center, and the center opened on Monday, August 22, 2022.

“So we are going to double our capacity to serve pre-school students and we are very excited about that,” said Dr. Pearce. “We are going to have a one-stop shop for our youngest learners, especially the ones with special needs.”

The new facility will serve more than 300 kids.