The massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., not only sparked gun control debate among lawmakers, it also has parents and schools focusing on security measures on the local level.
Monday the Fort Smith School Board met with Fort Smith City Directors and parents to explain the district’s active shooter protocol.
Dr. Randy Bridges, Director of Student Services, said the active shooter protocol was created with the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office and the Fort Smith Police Department.
“We have a plan where the police respond immediately to an intruder in the building and eliminate the threat,” said Dr. Bridges.
He said the building would be secured with a lockdown code, and once the threat was gone, students would be escorted safety out.
Dr. Bridges said the district is also beefing up surveillance.
“By the end of the 2013-2014 school year all of our campuses will be equipped with state-of-the-art video software and surveillance,” Bridges said.
This is part of a five year plan that includes approximately 1,000 cameras on a web-based system. This technology will be important during an emergency, Brides said.
“During a crisis, we would work in conjunction with the police department to remotely access parts of a building via video surveillance.”
The school district uses standardized color coded crisis drills. Dr. Bridges said the codes have been used for several years and each school is required to practice those drills every year.