This week, we have had many meetings regarding safety. Here is an update.
Safety Walk-Throughs: We conducted school walk-throughs with first responders. At each site, we observed a different emergency drill. Takeaways from the meetings were as follows:
- Each attendee now has a better understanding of campus layouts and facilities. Most first responders have never been in the cafeteria prep areas, locker rooms, and storage areas. Potential problem areas were identified.
- A recommendation was made that teachers to close the classroom doors during a tornado drill, thereby, potentially reducing the amount of glass exposure.
- A recommendation was made to be flexible with triage sites as inclimate weather and other potential dangers would negate the site as presently designated.
- Numerically name each building, placing the building's number on each corner of the building.
- During fire drills, (if necessary) designated personnel should stop traffic prior to crossing a public road; classes (preferably and when possible, i.e. elementary) should be aligned left to right by grade levels; students should align behind the teacher; blue, green and red cards should be used to identify the status of each class; first aid kits should accompany the teacher; doors should be shut and not locked (fire rated doors may prevent the fire from reaching other areas, shut but not locked so first responders can search the room).
- During lock-downs, utilize large green, blue and red cards on interior doors and exterior windows; denote safe places for students on the exterior; to the greatest extent possible, remove persons from line of sight from the outside (in the least, students should be under the desk); designate more than one person to immediately lock exterior doors.
- Treat every drill as if it is real.
- Employees and substitutes should wear identification badges every day.
- Drills should be evaluated and results should be disseminated to employees.
Meeting With 9-1-1 Officials: Tuesday of this week, I met with 9-1-1 persons to discuss a partnership with the agency that would allow direct communication between 9-1-1 and school buses. This would be most beneficial in communicating the location of a bus, disseminating first aid and medical instruction, and disseminating immediate weather information. Additional discussions are to take place in the short term.
Additional Surveillance Cameras: We continue to accept camera estimates and fine tune the location and camera quality. New locations are, but not limited to the following: elementary hallways, campus entrances, and common areas.
Rekeying: We walked the campuses this week and determined access and keying tree for all doors. A proprietary key system is to be purchased mea ning that copies cannot be made at the local hardware store. Key boxes will be mounted in secure locations. The system will have a grand-grand master key that fits all Crenshaw County Board of Education locks. Each school will have a grand master key that unlocks all doors on its campus. Classroom doors are to be rekeyed, as well as mechanical and custodial doors.
Consideration has been given to classroom locks and door handles. Potential problems exist with any entry point. The notion of all doors locking via push and turn mechanism on the inside is adequate provided the teacher is on the inside or if the teacher is on the outside with a key (a teacher on the outside of a locked room without a key is problematic in the least). Also, rekeying doors so that they lock with a key from the inside doubles the costs of replacing the cylinder and does not offer resolve if the key cannot be found.
The inspection of exterior doors has now become priority. Some mechanisms can be replaced or repaired. Some doors will have to be replaced.
In summary, all doors will be rekeyed and all exterior doors will be made functional.
Rekeying: We walked the campuses this week and determined access and keying tree for all doors. A proprietary key system is to be purchased mea ning that copies cannot be made at the local hardware store. Key boxes will be mounted in secure locations. The system will have a grand-grand master key that fits all Crenshaw County Board of Education locks. Each school will have a grand master key that unlocks all doors on its campus. Classroom doors are to be rekeyed, as well as mechanical and custodial doors.
Consideration has been given to classroom locks and door handles. Potential problems exist with any entry point. The notion of all doors locking via push and turn mechanism on the inside is adequate provided the teacher is on the inside or if the teacher is on the outside with a key (a teacher on the outside of a locked room without a key is problematic in the least). Also, rekeying doors so that they lock with a key from the inside doubles the costs of replacing the cylinder and does not offer resolve if the key cannot be found.
The inspection of exterior doors has now become priority. Some mechanisms can be replaced or repaired. Some doors will have to be replaced.
In summary, all doors will be rekeyed and all exterior doors will be made functional.
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