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School officials present fencing plans and safety study after $900,000 federal grant
Summary
Larkspur Unified School District told the City Council it has prioritized perimeter and interior fencing at three campuses after a Keenan threat assessment cited the lack of perimeter fencing; the district said a $900,000 federal Stop School Violence Prevention grant funded part of the work and community engagement is planned.
Superintendent Brett Gman told the Larkspur City Council that his district has been studying campus safety and is now recommending six‑foot ornamental perimeter fencing and interior fencing at Cove, Hall Middle and Neil Cummins schools.
“The red citation is the lack of perimeter fencing,” Superintendent Brett Gman said, summarizing a Keenan threat assessment that staff said walked the campuses and identified fencing as the highest‑priority safety gap. Gman said the district received a $900,000 Stop School Violence Prevention federal grant that funded staff training, research and partnerships with firms including Hanover Research and Keenan, and that the grant window has closed.
The district delivered maps and renderings showing ornamental perimeter fencing that would remain open before and after school and interior fencing that would remain closed during the school day to secure play areas while preserving community access to adjacent parks. Dr. Megan Atkins, the district’s business official, explained plans for vehicle sliding gates and pedestrian buzz‑in points so parents can be buzzed in to pick up students during the day.
Council members asked about emergency access for first responders; Gman said the Central Marin Police Authority supports the initiative and Chief Norton has attended board meetings, but staff will follow up with police to confirm specific access points and gate designs. The presentation also referenced past incidents, including an arrest near a campus made about eight years ago and repeated examples of trespassing and people using school grounds during recess.
The presentation included community‑engagement findings: staff said a district survey and subsequent feedback showed staff strongly favored perimeter fencing (89–95%), and that community pulse surveys had unusually high participation rates. The district said it will host public feedback sessions and encouraged residents to review packet materials and maps.
The council did not take action on the presentation; the item was informational and staff said they will return with refined plans and further opportunities for public comment.
