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Safety chief reports $3.5 million in upgrades, 700+ drills and plans to streamline emergency communications
Summary
Richard Peebles presented the district's 2023-24 school safety and security annual report on Feb. 12, listing recent security projects, staffing and next steps including intercom upgrades and simplified Standard Response Protocol implementation.
Richard Peebles, the district safety and security lead, presented the St. Vrain Valley School District Board of Education with the annual safety and security report for the 2023-24 school year on Feb. 12, detailing recent upgrades, staffing levels and planned technology improvements.
Peebles told the board the district spent "almost 3 and a half million dollars" on security projects last year, completed upgrades to security camera servers, installed secure-entry vestibules at multiple elementary schools and performed fire-alarm and ADA-door-operator upgrades at specific buildings. He said the district also used a school safety disbursement grant to upgrade windows at Lyons Elementary and cleared brush at Lyons Middle/Senior for fire mitigation.
"We are fortunate that we have campus supervisors at every single school across the district. We have 71 campus supervisors currently supporting our kids in our buildings," Peebles said. He added the district completes more than 700 emergency-preparedness drills annually, noting those drills follow the state fire code and the Standard Response Protocol from the I Love You Guys Foundation.
Peebles described partnerships with local law enforcement, fire protection districts and emergency management offices; he named Longmont police officer Sarah Martinez and Deputy Mitch Roseborough as school resource officers who interact daily with students. He said the district's work includes coordinating annual fire-safety inspections and training with those partners.
Looking ahead, Peebles said plans made possible by the recently passed bond include improvements to mass communication systems, intercom upgrades for direct classroom communication, streamlined application of the Standard Response Protocol and enhancements to cameras, access control, environmental sensors and visitor management.
"These investments and partnerships are critical to ensuring that each and every student has an opportunity to thrive in a secure and supportive environment," Peebles said.
Board members commended the work, and President Ragland specifically thanked Peebles and his staff for maintaining the district's school resource officer program and other safety work. The report was informational; no action was taken at the meeting.
