Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Threat Assessment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Deputy Weiss: DOJ-style assessment finds Lakeland School largely safe, recommends interior locks, cameras and signage
Summary
Deputy Crystal Weiss summarized a March 21, 2024 safety assessment that praised Lakeland School's design and plans but recommended interior-locking capability for classroom doors, additional exterior camera coverage and signage about restricted items; staff said the emergency operations plan is about 80% complete.
Deputy Crystal Weiss of the Laurel County Sheriff's Office presented a Department of Justice-style school safety and security assessment to the Walworth County Children with Disabilities Education Board on June 19. Weiss said the assessment, completed March 21, 2024 by Dan Nelson, found that Lakeland School "offers a very welcoming and friendly atmosphere" and generally provides effective environmental design for student safety.
Weiss summarized strengths cited in the assessment: well-lit parking and entry areas, camera views and large windows that make parking visible, clear public entry routing and limited public access, classrooms with safety plans and visible maps, and accessible shelter-in-place storage areas. She said the assessor noted more strengths than opportunities for improvement.
The assessment recommended several specific changes: enabling classroom doors to lock from the inside (the assessor referenced Sandy Hook Commission recommendations and noted that at Lakeland some doors lock from the outside only), adding exterior surveillance cameras to cover blind spots, and posting signs at main entries about restricted items such as firearms, knives and drugs. Weiss also said the school's emergency operations plan was not complete at the time of the review but was about 80% finished and would be provided to the board for review soon.
Weiss concluded that the assessment did not identify major safety concerns and that the school was well positioned to address the remaining items. The board accepted the summarized assessment as part of the meeting packet; no separate formal vote beyond acceptance was recorded in the transcript.
