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Terrebonne Parish school security coordinator outlines safety plan, reunification drills and camera strategy
Summary
Gary Williams presented the district's comprehensive safety plan — access control, ballistic vestibules, cameras and active-shooter drills — and described ongoing reunification planning with Homeland Security, remote incident photo use and targeted staffing for large events.
Gary Williams, senior security coordinator for the Terrebonne Parish School District, told the Education Technology and Policy Committee that the district is operating under a broad safety plan implemented before his arrival and has updated site assessments with state police and Homeland Security. "We have control access, perimeter locks, doors, visitors check-in, metal detectors, ID badges, and we are building ballistic vestibules at some schools," Williams said.
Williams said the district has completed assessments at carryover schools, run active-shooter and other emergency drills and established operational plans with the sheriff’s office and local police for sporting events and large gatherings. He described a new Google Drive where principals log event dates so the district can coordinate extra SROs and other law-enforcement resources.
Asked to define 'reunification,' Williams explained it as a centralized location where students are transported after a campus disaster and reunited with guardians. The district has convened an initial reunification planning group that will hold tabletop exercises and later a full drill, potentially at the Civic Center or the Evergreen Cajun Center, and will involve Homeland Security, state police and local agencies.
Board members focused questions on practical needs. Williams said the top near-term needs are ballistic glass or ballistic film for some older campuses and single-point entry vestibules that give staff time to confirm entrants. He acknowledged human factors — students or staff propping doors — and emphasized training and staffing as part of the solution. "Single point entry is the best entry where you don't have people just floating around," Williams said.
Williams also described using Homeland Security drones to create updated aerial photographs for GOSEP filings where campus photos were out of date, noting FAA or airport proximity can limit drone use at some schools. He said the parish has updated crisis plans and, according to a parish emergency-preparedness briefing he referenced, Terrebonne Parish currently has school ops plans on file with GOSEP.
The committee received Williams's briefing without vote. The board thanked Williams for his work and moved on to policy items.
