Weston safety committee updates campus restrictions, e‑bike guidance and security upgrades

The Weston School District Safety & Security Committee met Sept. 16 to review campus access rules, e‑bike guidance ahead of a new state classification that takes effect Oct. 1, recent security upgrades and planning for longer‑term projects including radio system upgrades and the bus-depot site study.

The committee, chaired by Mike Del Mastro, approved minutes from its June 10 meeting and heard a presentation from Jim Welty, the district’s director of safety and security, on summer work and priorities for the school year. New Superintendent Erica Forte was introduced at the meeting.

Committee members said the topics matter because they affect daily student safety, district emergency response and longer-term capital needs. Members noted heightened public attention to e‑bike rules, the state deadline for electrifying school bus fleets and the practical need to make radio and phone systems more reliable.

Welty described the district’s closed-campus policy and visitor procedures, which the committee emphasized should be widely communicated to parents and community partners. “If you are coming to one of our institutions, please schedule an appointment,” Welty said, describing the district’s use of the Raptor system: visitors show an ID, the system prints a visitor sticker that must be worn during the visit and visitors check back in with the security desk when they leave. Welty said the closed‑campus hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and that visitors should stay on public sidewalks (School Road) and avoid playgrounds and athletic facilities during those hours.

The committee discussed a recent community notice Welty sent on Sept. 3 and an uptake in town messaging; Welty…