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Todd County School District details new security measures, discusses SRO agreement
Summary
District staff described new guards, cameras, metal detectors, radios and planned training; board members discussed law-enforcement commission and a memorandum of understanding for a school resource officer.
Todd County School District 66-1 staff described a series of new and expanded safety measures at the district’s schools and answered board questions about who may view surveillance footage and whether to pursue a school resource officer (SRO).
Kevin, a district staff member, told the board the district had added a security position at the middle school, deployed metal detectors and expanded cameras and radios. “We got 46 more cameras, and they're gonna be distributed,” Kevin said, adding the district had four metal detectors for the middle school and was checking student bags at that campus. He said older radios were replaced and 15 radios were on order, with roughly a dozen planned for elementary staff and custodial use.
The district also described steps to limit access to surveillance recordings. Kevin said lead administrators at each school would grant view-only access to up to three people at that building and that any thumb drives provided to law enforcement would be logged. “It's view only. They can't change anything. They can't erase anything,” Kevin said.
Board members pressed for clarity on law-enforcement roles on campus. The board has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the city for an officer, and staff said they were “working with the sheriff” on salary and deployment logistics. A board member noted the district no longer has an SRO provided by the tribe and asked whether the district should instead hire more security staff; another said an officer with arrest and citation authority was preferable to additional unarmed security.
The district said it is continuing training on the ALICE protocol and will emphasize verbal de-escalation; a hands-on restraint component is not scheduled at this time. Kevin said the district is standardizing signage (surveillance, weapons- and drug-free notices) and has prioritized lighting and camera coverage in areas that had experienced vandalism.
Board members asked staff to follow up with the chief of police about commission and training options and to return with details on salary and timing for an SRO or other commissioned personnel.
The board did not take a final vote on hiring an SRO during this meeting; the discussion was recorded as direction to continue negotiations and report back.
The district identified logistics and oversight questions (who may access footage, evidence-chain procedures, training requirements and costs) as outstanding items to resolve before any staffing or contractual changes were finalized.
