The Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD #2) board of trustees discussed security issues at schools and came up with plans to make changes in security systems at the campuses and staff training for security protocols, among other routine business.
Several new security programs were discussed by board members, including electronic access systems for staff and faculty, and a new training program for faculty and staff to help them respond in the event of an emergency in a school such as a threat of violence against the school, or a natural disaster.
Superintendent Jim Copeland told the board of trustees that he had toured the facilities with a security expert who suggested an electronic locking system that would allow access only to people with security cards or fobs.
Such a system would cut down on the confusion on the part of administrators who may not fully understand who has keys to access the building. “People are given keys and over the years they lose track,” he said. “With this system we know not only who has access but when they’re in the buildings.”
The system would also allow administrators to use the computer system to cancel key cards or access fobs that have been lost or replaced so that unauthorized persons cannot access the buildings, and so locks would not have to be re-keyed.
Another security system discussed by the board is intended to track visitors to the school campuses. According to Copeland, visitors would be required to have their driver’s license or ID’s barcode scanned into the system, then a sticker printed for the person to wear on his or her clothing so staff would know the person is a visitor.
Copeland explained that though the system might seem very formal for smaller school campuses like Elk Mountain, the changes in security technology were required.
The board had received a grant for $95,000 to install the systems, Copeland said, adding that it would soon be put out for bids.
Copeland also told the board of trustees that representatives from the I love u guys Foundation—a non-profit foundation that teaches schools about planning for disasters including school shootings—would be providing free seminars to faculty in CCSD #2 schools about the proper response in the event of an emergency.
The I love u guys Foundation was established by John-Michael Keyes after his daughter, Emily, was killed in a school shooting At Platte Canyon High School in Bailey, Colo. on September 27, 2006. The foundation takes its name from a text message Emily sent to her parents before she was murdered. The message read “I love u guys, k.”
The foundation teaches schools about what it calls Standard Response Protocol (SRP). SRP is comprised of four separate actions that are to be taken in the event of disasters or threats to the school: Lockout where an external threat is locked out of the building; Lockdown which is when there is a threat inside the building; Evacuate and shelter in place.
Copeland also said that school staff would be meeting with local, county and state law enforcement agencies to ensure that the schools and law enforcement each have an understanding of the others’ protocols and responses to various threats.
Copeland said the training is free, but he would like to purchase books to place in every classroom to ensure that all faculty have copies of the SRP in the event of an emergency.
The board also heard a presentation from recently graduated Encampment High School student Kat Hytrek and Encampment senior Ariana McKinney who took part in the school’s ProStart Management Team. The ProStart Management Team teaches students skills in the hospitality industry.
The students got the opportunity to compete at state as well as nationals in Dallas, Texas, McKinney said. The students had to spend time drawing up business plans and menus, but feel that they represented the state of Wyoming well, even in the face of competition from much larger schools, including hospitality management magnet schools. The students then thanked the board for making it possible for them to travel to the national competition.
The meeting concluded with board member Tonya Bartholomew saying that she had heard of several families who were concerned about a lack of college credits their students could earn in CCSD #2 high schools. The board, Bartholomew said, had hired two new teachers who were qualified to teach classes that qualified students for college credit, and that she was dismayed that more people were not aware of the district’s recent measures to improve offerings to students.
The board discussed strategies to better inform the community of the quality of CCSD #2 schools.
The board also voted to accept the bid from Big Horn Roofing in Laramie to repair the roofs at Saratoga Elementary School (SES) and Encampment K-12. Big Horn was the only contractor who bid on both jobs, Copeland said.
Big Horn’s bid of $321,735 would repair both roofs, Copeland said. Copeland said that while Big Horn’s bid for both schools was “about three or four thousand” more than others who had bid on the jobs, the board’s consultant recommended accepting Big Horn’s bid based on prior experience with the company, their location and the fact both roofs would be repaired by one company.
The next regular meeting of the CCSD #2 Board of Trustees will be 6:00 p.m., July 18 at the Central Office.
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