Residency and school safety update: cameras, dispatcher changes and 38 residency investigations this year

District security and residency staff described a series of safety and residency efforts and their operational impact.

Carlos (security and climate specialist and residency investigator) told the board the district has been working with police, fire and the bus company to add cameras and speed enforcement for cars that fail to stop for buses. He said administrators attended multi-day school-safety training through Western Connecticut State University and that the district is labeling doors inside and outside buildings with a system that helps first responders identify entry points more quickly.

Carlos said the district is replacing an out-of-state call center vendor (based in Ohio) with a new firm in New Jersey effective July 1; he reported current emergency call handling takes about a minute and the district's goal is to reduce that to 20–30 seconds. He also said the district turned on daytime door alarms at schools to notify staff when exterior doors open during school hours and to tie those alarms to the appropriate administrators.

On residency work, Carlos reported 38 cases this year. He explained his investigations typically include multiple surveillance visits (a minimum of four, not on…