Petaluma district details North Bay Security partnership; staff and union voices differ on long‑term plan

Petaluma City Schools staff outlined their partnership with North Bay Security at the March board meeting, describing a range of services from safety‑plan development and incident response to a spring pilot in which a North Bay consultant is assigned to district campuses Monday through Friday.

Esmeralda, a district staff member who introduced the presentation, said the district began a comprehensive review of safety plans in 2022 and contracted with North Bay Security to help strengthen site‑level incident command systems, drill evaluation and staff training. “We entered into a two‑year contract in May 2024,” Esmeralda said, explaining the agreement covers the current 2024–25 school year and 2025–26.

Bill Welch, founder of North Bay Security, and colleagues Jim and Matt described the group’s work. Welch and his team, all of whom have law enforcement backgrounds, told the board they provide intruder‑response training, safety walk‑throughs, drill observation and after‑action reviews, and that…