Schools

Newly Formed Committee Looking to Strengthen SRV School Security

The committee is looking closely at school facilities in the district and seeing which schools are vulnerable to having unauthorized people on campus.

In the wake of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., the San Ramon Valley Unified School District has created a safety committee to look at ways to improve security at district schools, district spokesman Terry Koehne said.

The committee, which was formed in January, has about 30 members and includes administrators, teachers and police and fire officials.

One area the committee is focused on is facility security, and looking at how vulnerable some schools might be to people going on campus who shouldn't be there.

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"We are not going to be putting in metal detectors or having fences around all the playgrounds and parks," Koehne said. "But we do want to cut down on the entrance and exit points at some schools. Our newer schools, like Quail Run and Live Oak, will be the models for other schools. We want to minimize the entrance and exit points."

A facility auditing process has begun for all schools in the district to determine which facilities don't meet the minimum amount of security.

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Along with securing school facilities, the committee is looking at other measures. For example, making sure every visitor and volunteer on a district campus is wearing a badge.

The committee plans to brief the school board on its progress and receive feedback at the school board meeting Tuesday.

"We don't want to overreact, but school safety is our No. 1 priority," Koehne said.


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