Safety director outlines visitor‑management, training and emergency plans for Joplin Schools

Dustin Haywood, the district’s safety and security director, told the Joplin Schools board that the district has strengthened visitor management, training and emergency planning to align with state and national guidance.

Haywood said he joined the district in July and brings “a little over 30 years’ experience in various facets of law enforcement,” noting he and his attendance officer have been deputized by Jasper and Newton County sheriff’s offices. “I’m primarily based out of the high school, though the entire district safety and security program is in my umbrella,” he said, describing his role in safety audits, revisions to the district emergency operations plan and training for staff.

Haywood walked trustees through the district’s visitor‑management process. “We just scan our driver’s license, and that checks through various entities — offender registry being one of them, a ban list, cross‑references with PowerSchool,” he said. Haywood said a scan that flags a concern results in immediate validation and follow up by staff; if the person is not authorized to pick up a child they are not admitted. He added that “immediately after that, that data is dumped,” describing limited retention of scanned data.

Trustees asked operational questions about monitoring flagged individuals and on‑site response. Haywood said the system will flag a potential match for staff to validate and that he will get involved if front‑desk staff cannot resolve it. On panic buttons, Haywood confirmed most front desks have them and described the planned layered protections that include interior cameras, radios and coordination with first responders.

On advanced detection tools, Haywood said the district is exploring an artificial‑intelligence pilot that could integrate with cameras to detect brandished firearms but stressed that “we haven’t got approved to do that at all yet.” He also described new radios distributed to elementary and middle schools, and his role as liaison to district vendors for maintenance and replacements.

Haywood described the emergency operations plan as NIMS/ICS‑aligned and said principals are instructed to develop incident command teams that act as “boots on the ground” until first responders arrive. He also said the district coordinates with the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments on the five‑year Jasper County hazard mitigation plan.

Trustees and staff praised CES (the Missouri School Boards’ Association Center for Educational Safety) training and the district’s early adoption of CES materials. Board members said CES’s “Stop the Prop” door stickers are a practical reminder to not prop doors; Haywood said the district has stickers on hand and plans strategic deployment with building engineers.

What’s next: Haywood said CES chief operations officer John McDonald has committed to visit the district for further walkthroughs. He also said a mass “Stop the Bleed” training for selected staff is scheduled, and that staff certifications tied to Senate Bill 68 are being completed so the district meets statutory training requirements.

At the meeting Haywood repeatedly framed the programs as layered protections — administrative procedures, staff training, physical access controls and coordination with local law enforcement — and recommended continued monitoring and staged implementation of new technologies.