North Scott presents expanded safety plan emphasizing training, reunification and new camera tools

Associate Principal Eron Schwarz, who leads the district safety committee, told the North Scott Community School District board that the district has systematized safety work across seven buildings and about 44 team members, including first responders and community partners.

"Our goal every single day is to send 100% of our students and our staff home safely to their loved ones," Schwarz said, outlining quarterly district safety meetings, building-level teams, and subcommittees that address communications, training and equipment.

Schwarz described several operational changes the committee has implemented or planned. The district is adopting the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) this year and plans to adopt the Standard Reunification Method (SRM) next year to standardize language and reunification steps across buildings. Staff have placed trauma kits in classrooms and expanded hands-on CPR and AED training for staff; Schwarz credited high school nurse Wendy Peterson for bringing AED training to the district.

The district also described a change to its anonymous reporting platform. After losing earlier P3 functionality when grant support shifted, the district partnered with Sandy Hook for a combined "Say Something" platform that restores broader reporting options. "That app is monitored by Sandy Hook 24/7. So if any report comes in, it is seen immediately," Schwarz said, explaining that reports tied to life-safety events can prompt immediate contact with administration or first responders.

On video and analytics, presenters said the district has added roughly 104 cameras across its buildings and is piloting multi-directional cameras and integrated software that can help staff identify clothing descriptors (for example, "blue sweatshirt, black pants") and pull recent snapshots across cameras. "This is not facial recognition," Schwarz said during a board Q&A, clarifying that current capabilities focus on descriptors such as clothing and vehicle details rather than matching faces.

Board members asked how the technology would be used in practice; presenters described use-cases such as tracking a student after a detector or health alarm triggers. The high school currently has "approximately 86" cameras, the presenter said. Staff acknowledged the software and analytics are in early stages and that district policy and access controls govern who can view footage.

Schwarz and his team also described a structured after-action review process: they create minute-by-minute timelines after incidents to identify communication gaps and improve response times. The district will update its Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) on a rotation next year and conduct tabletop exercises, administrative training in June, and small-scale reunification drills that include students.

During the meeting board members asked about audit frequency, funding for cameras, and whether families will be told reunification locations. Presenters said the reunification site is typically trained to staff and students but not broadly distributed in advance; they offered to provide the board a list of camera or funding gaps to inform future budget decisions.

The board heard the presentation as part of routine administrative reports and asked staff to return with planned audit schedules and funding needs. The district plans more training and small-scale exercises over the summer and to continue rolling out SRM and updated communication protocols next school year.