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District details bond-funded safety upgrades: badge access, cameras, bus video and fencing
Summary
District staff reported progress on safety and security work funded by the 2023 bond: digital badge access at exterior doors, replacement and expansion of high-resolution cameras, bus camera upgrades with wireless download, and targeted perimeter fencing.
District technology, facilities and transportation staff updated the board on security projects funded by the 2023 bond, including digital badge access, expanded camera systems, bus video upgrades and additional fencing at several campuses.
Director Jeremy (technology/facilities) said the district has installed badge access on more than 250 doors and is expanding access to key exterior and interior points so sites can be locked down centrally. “...the ability to lock down all of the doors with a simple iPad movement,” he said, explaining the goal is faster centralized control during an incident.
The district completed phase 1 of a camera upgrade this summer: high‑resolution digital cameras replaced analog units at the high school, expanding coverage to an estimated 400 cameras on that campus alone and adding analytics capable of tracking a person across multiple camera views. Phase 2 will replace analog cameras at roughly 17 other sites; when finished staff expect the system to have more than 1,200 cameras districtwide and three weeks to 45 days of retained footage on newly installed servers.
Transportation staff said about 85 school buses are in the fleet and that 28 buses already received camera upgrades (4–6 cameras each on newer buses, two cameras on older ones). Wireless downloading of video into the transportation server now occurs automatically when a bus returns, reducing the time needed to secure footage for review. Donnie Ryan, in transportation, said cameras record when the ignition is on and continue saving for about 10 minutes after shutdown.
Fencing paid for by the bond has been added at sites including Centennial (playground), the south side of Horizon (to prevent unsafe parking and crossings), Meadowbrook (field gate) and Central athletics (track and football field). The board heard about nonbond security work too: four parking-lot attendants now support campus dismissal and have reduced unsafe parking behavior.
Officials described access controls for video: site administrators and school resource officers have access to camera footage; district technical staff provision and manage individual accounts. Staff also said analytic features can locate an individual across cameras by clothing or by a face thumbnail, which administrators told the board saves investigative time.
No vote was required; the presentation was informational. Staff said the purchases are under contract and phased work will continue through the school year.
