SFUSD officials outline lockdown rules, communications and PA upgrades after December campus incidents

Supervisor Catherine Stephanie, chair of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee, convened a Feb. 1 joint hearing with the San Francisco Youth Commission to examine San Francisco Unified School District lockdown and emergency procedures after incidents at George Washington and Galileo high schools on Dec. 8, 2023.

Greg Markwith, SFUSD director of emergency planning and preparedness, told the panel the district is prioritizing physical security and communications upgrades. He said the Board of Education reallocated $10,000,000 in bond funds in late 2021 for safety and security work; an assessment identified under 40 sites with insufficient door hardware and, according to Markwith, "90% of our classrooms have secure hardware installed" with the district aiming to finish installations by summer 2024. He said remote door access (buzzers with integrated cameras) and most PA system modernization work are planned for completion by summer 2024 if funding is available, and that the district estimates an additional $2–5 million beyond the $10 million will be required to meet district PA standards across roughly 30 priority campuses.

On communicat…