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Terrebonne Parish outlines expanded school safety plan and reunification drills
Summary
District security coordinator Gary Williams briefed the committee on a 20-point safety plan that includes access controls, active-shooter drills, ballistic vestibules for some schools, expanded camera coverage and a planned reunification drill with Homeland Security and local law enforcement.
Gary Williams, the district's senior security coordinator, told the Education Technology and Policy Committee that Terrebonne Parish School District is implementing a 20-point safety plan that includes controlled access, metal detectors, ID badges, expanded camera coverage and plans to install ballistic vestibules at some schools. "We have control access, perimeter airlocks, doors, visitors check-in, metal detectors, ID badges, and we are building ballistic vestibules at some schools," Williams said.
Williams said the district has visited every school with state police and federal Homeland Security partners, conducted active-shooter drills (with 911, the FBI and state police notified in advance), and uses a Rave panic button system. He described a new reunification process to move students to a centralized site staffed by medical and emergency personnel where parents can retrieve children with proper documentation: "We're gonna do a tabletop exercise, and then ... a full blown reunification drill, possibly the Civic Center or the Evergreen Cajun Center," Williams said.
Board members pressed Williams on priorities and operational constraints. When asked what the district needs most now, Williams said ballistic glass or ballistic film at older schools and single-point entries to buy time for response. He also said the district created a Google Drive so principals can share event dates with law enforcement to arrange extra SRO coverage for stadiums and large events.
Williams told the committee the district has used Homeland Security drones to collect up-to-date photographs for planning forms and acknowledged FAA/airport proximity limits on drone flights at some campuses. He also reported that, according to a local homeland-security official, the parish has submitted updated crisis plans to GOSEP and is currently listed as having each school's operations plan on file for the state review process.
Next steps: Williams said the district will conduct tabletop and full-scale reunification drills with law-enforcement partners, expand camera coverage where appropriate, continue staff training, and work with board members on funding priorities such as ballistic film and vestibules.
