City View ISD announces new partnership for ‘personal safety skills education’

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - City View ISD announced Friday it would partner with Kidpower International, a global nonprofit dedicated to educating students and educators about personal safety skills.

“We are devastated by the terrible allegations we have heard, where past unsafe behavior by a school staff person have affected former students of our District,” City View Superintendent Tony Bushong said in a statement. “We want to assure parents and community members of our District that we continue to be committed to ensuring a safe and secure environment for students to learn.”

City View ISD was rocked by a series of sexual misconduct allegations after victims came forward in June against former teacher and coach Bob Morris. While the alleged victims claim to have spoken to current school authorities, Bushong has maintained the complaints were not made to his administration.

“We are making a wholehearted commitment to ensure that our students, staff, and parents have the knowledge and skills they need to prevent this from happening again,” Bushong said in a statement. “We are excited to be working with Dr. Jen Johnson, who is a graduate of City View High School and the founder of The Child Safety Collaborative, host of the Kidpower Texas Center, to bring these tools to our school and community.”

Kidpower International would provide the district with strategic planning and educational opportunities to incorporate response strategies and personal safety skills into everyday activities at City View, according to the statement.

“As soon as I saw the story break in June, I reached out to Mr. Bushong about the need for student, staff, and community education and support, and he got back to me within hours,” Johnson said. “City View ISD has been part of my life since I was 5 years old, and I am deeply invested in the safety and well-being of students in the community where I grew up.”

Johnson said Kidpower uses a unique Positive Practice Teaching Method to teach “skills for preventing harm such as abuse and bullying.” The program also focuses on effective response strategies and mental health.

“Kidpower has transformed schools and communities around the world, and we have developed a long-term plan for the district that includes a culture of safety and support for students, staff, and their families,” Johnson said.

The partnership will begin with professional development for all staff next week, and will reportedly include programming for students and parents in the fall.