Greeley-Evans School District 6 outlines new command center, grants and safety upgrades
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Summary
Chief of Safety and Security Wayne Corliss and staff briefed the board on a newly completed district command center, awarded grants used for equipment and staff, and completed emergency plans and audits intended to improve school safety.
Greeley-Evans School District 6’s chief of safety and security, Wayne Corliss, told the board on March 24 that the district has completed a district-wide command center and is rolling out related systems, trainings and staff positions meant to strengthen emergency response across its schools.
The update focused on five safety areas: information technology, environmental security and control systems, threat management and daily practices, emergency/crisis management, and partnerships with local law enforcement. Corliss said the command center — completed in December 2024 — will serve as an emergency operations center able to monitor district cameras, assist law enforcement with video downloads and remotely control exterior doors across campus buildings.
Why it matters: the board heard that the new infrastructure and staff are intended to speed incident response and improve consistency across 32 district buildings. Corliss said the command center, coupled with completed emergency operation plans and new digital alert systems, will centralize information and support decisions during crises.
Corliss and Assistant Director Brian Breeze described recent and ongoing steps: districtwide adoption of the I Love You Guys standard response protocol for school emergencies and reunification; transition to the Raptor Alert digital drill and visitor system; completion of site-level emergency operation plans in fall 2024; and training of district administrators in the Incident Command System (ICS). Corliss credited a combination of federal and state grants for funding key pieces of the program, and the board was introduced to two staff positions funded by a Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) STOP RAMP grant — a threat assessment coordinator and a restorative-practices coordinator.
The presentation also reported outcome data from a Panorama family survey on perceptions of safety and the district’s annual safe schools audit. Corliss said most schools ranked in the ninetieth percentile on the audit; the recently acquired GapNext building scored below that level and is undergoing security upgrades including vestibule work, additional door locks and planned cameras.
Board members asked about operational details. Director Norwood confirmed lockdown drills continue; Corliss said the district currently controls exterior doors remotely and is in the process of integrating interior door controls into the command center. Vice President Mash asked about extended staffing hours for the command center; Corliss said the center is currently staffed during regular school hours while operators are trained and that expanded coverage for sporting events and evenings is planned to begin in fall 2025.
Corliss noted collaboration with the City of Greeley on traffic infrastructure projects around schools, citing the city’s work on Safe Streets for All and Safe Routes to School grants and an ongoing traffic engineering study of K–8 and elementary school areas. Next steps listed by the safety team include approving an updated master emergency operations plan and continuing to revise site-level plans and behavior management strategies.
Speakers quoted in this report are drawn from the board meeting transcript and include Wayne Corliss, Brian Breeze, Jasmine Overshiner and Jeremy Hayden; board questions and comments were made by Directors Norwood, Azari, Bentley and President Matthews.
The district did not take a formal vote on additional spending or staffing during the presentation; Corliss said some projects rely on grant funds already received.
