Educational opportunities are on the rise for the county’s students.
The Gilmer College and Career Academy’s public safety pathway is one of nine in the country with certification recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Sheriffs Association.
The program was celebrated at last Monday’s board of education work session. The Law and Public Safety Education Network’s (LAPSEN) executive director Dr. Thomas Washburn was in attendance to recognize Gilmer’s efforts. LAPSEN has partnered with state boards of education across the country to create the industry certification program.
The GCCA falls under the umbrella of Gilmer High, and Kris Martinez teaches its public safety classes.
“We’ve done accreditation all the way from California to Maine, and the program at Gilmer High School is fantastic,” said Washburn, who has been working in public education for four decades.
“The leadership at the school is fantastic, and they’re fully involved and knowledgeable about what is going on in the classroom.”
LAPSEN assists 6,000 public safety programs in high schools across the country, including 160 in Georgia. Its industry certification standards were established in 2021. Gilmer’s program was the fourth in the country to receive that level of certification.
“That means your administration is outstanding, the school system support is outstanding and the instructor is outstanding,” Washburn said.
“The kids in this program are coming out really prepared to work in law and public safety. And if they don’t, they’re fantastic citizens. They’ve learned the nature of the court, and they’ve learned how to save lives.”
Martinez started the public safety program in 2019 when he began teaching at GHS.
“A big part of (career, technical, and agricultural education) is the advisory committee and advisory committee support,” Washburn said. “Kris has amazing support from the sheriffs department and other agencies in the area.
“The work-based learning experiences in Gilmer, which you think there would be less opportunities, was better than what I’ve seen in some of our most massive systems from across the country.”
Martinez manned the yearlong certification application process. Gilmer received a perfect score, and the program was accredited March 23. All spring semester students received public safety certification. Two students who were in the program have since been hired at the Gilmer County jail.
“After completing the end of pathway assessment, now students are recognized as being top-tier criminal justice students coming into the field,” Martinez said. “Now employers see it on their diploma and on a certificate. They can take to the workforce to show they have a knowledge and skill set.”
Martinez previously spent 20 years in law enforcement. He worked in sheriff departments and taught in the police academy at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center.
“Law enforcement definitely needs new blood and new people coming into the field,” he said. “Being able to take these kids and show them law enforcement is a great path and great way to give back to your community.
“We want to grow our workforce here locally, and this is a great way for students to go directly into the workforce and make a living. For many of my students, they’re coming out making as much or more than some of their parents.”
All Gilmer students in the program take introduction to law, public safety, corrections and security, followed by criminal justice essentials. For their level three course, they chose between application of corrections, criminal investigations and public safety communications.
A fourth level three course will be added next year for certification to attain a Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 commercial drone pilot license.
The GCCA has classroom space for hands-on demonstrations, scenarios and activities that are performed in the field such as hand cuffing, traffic stops, searches, working accidents and writing citations and reports.
Throughout the year, students were able to meet with industry professionals including law enforcement officers, firefighters, judges, DNA forensic analysts and emergency services personnel.
Following Gilmer’s accreditation, Washburn offered Martinez a role in LAPSEN, and he is now developing the curriculum that will be used in high schools across the country.
“We as an organization hire some of the best to help us with projects, and Kris is doing the lead for us on our rubric development for law enforcement nationwide,” Washburn said. “He is a huge asset, but I want to give props as well to the administration and support team. The students up here don’t realize what a great gift they have at their career center.”
Martinez is excited to be part of the project, noting, “I’ve had tremendous support and was told, ‘Yes, we will support you and your ideas any way we can. Let’s make something great.’ That’s exciting anytime someone says, ‘We support you and we believe in you.’”
The nationwide public safety rubric is projected to be completed in the spring of 2024.