Security directors discuss school safety following Uvalde shooting

Jul. 3—CHEYENNE — Close to six weeks after a deadly school shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, local schools haven't made any concrete changes to security measures. Some said they may use the tragedy as a chance to re-evaluate current precautions, though.

"Student safety and staff safety is something that's always on our minds and things we're working on, but we haven't made any changes to current practices since the summer began," said Justin Pierantoni, superintendent of Laramie County School District 2.

Todd DePorter, the safety and security program administrator for Laramie County School District 1, described improvements he'd hoped to put into place even before the May shooting.

"(School security is) a constant process of improvement, regardless of world events," DePorter said.

There may be changes. A June 7 news release from the Wyoming Department of Education said that, in response to the Uvalde shooting, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder had directed Deputy Superintendent Chad Auer "to host a series of roundtable discussions across the state with district superintendents, staff and school board members in June and July."

DePorter said he met with Auer last week to discuss what LCSD1 currently does to secure its schools.

The aim of these meetings is to "discuss school security, identify school district needs and understand how the (WDE) can support school security across Wyoming," the state agency's release said.

"(Auer) has also met with a number of stakeholders, including students, teachers, district leaders, law enforcement and even Homeland Security," WDE Communications Director Linda Finnerty said. She added there are "a lot more discussions" planned for the coming weeks.

Schools in Wyoming are required by the WDE to have an established safety plan as part of the accreditation process.

Changes

WDE notes that, in response to the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, Wyoming's then-Gov. Matt Mead created a task force to examine school security policies and recommend improvements. It released findings in October 2013, "which prompted significant changes to school emergency response," WDE recounted.

DePorter and Pierantoni couldn't point to any specific changes made in their respective schools following the Sandy Hook shooting, nor could Jesse Blair, director of risk management and campus safety for Laramie County Community College. All are relatively new to their current positions.

Blair said his department is reviewing security processes and technology "to see if there's something better we can do or what changes we could implement."

Schroeder and other candidates for state superintendent of public instruction previously told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that school safety was a priority for them, although they are not interested in limiting access to guns.

A Palm Springs, California-based school security expert said this re-evaluation process is typical for schools following tragic, high-profile shootings, dating back to one at Columbine High School, which took place in Colorado in 1999.

"School shootings have helped evolve school security. There's always kind of a step back and look at what the industry is doing and maybe should there be some changes," said Steve Kaufer, president of security consulting firm Inter/Action Associates. "We've seen a lot of evolution since Columbine in terms of not only school security, but how police respond to incidents, whether it be in a school or other areas with an active shooter."

One of the main tenets of school security, Kaufer said, is controlling — and often limiting — access to school buildings. Local security officials also mentioned this as vital to preventing outside threats from getting in.

Arming teachers

A gun safety bill passed recently in Congress provides new funding to strengthen school security.

DePorter and Pierantoni said they had not yet received any information about such money. Blair said he wasn't sure whether any of that money would be distributed to higher education entities.

There also haven't been discussions in local schools yet about potentially arming teachers, said Blair, DePorter and Pierantoni. The idea has been floated by Republicans since the Uvalde shooting.

While DePorter said he doesn't have an opinion on the topic, if it were to be pursued by LCSD1, his job would be to make sure any non-law enforcement professional has the necessary training to be armed within a school.

The Wyoming Legislature passed a law in 2017 that allows possession of firearms on school property if the local board of trustees adopts rules in consultation with law enforcement. The employee must hold a valid concealed carry permit, and the district could choose to cover the cost of training.

Pierantoni noted that just four of the state's 48 school districts currently have such a policy.

Kaufer said that, within the school security industry, there was not and likely wouldn't ever be a push to arm teachers.

"That's normally from outside groups that don't have a fairly good handle on schools and how they operate," he said. "It's very much a political issue. An active shooter incident requires very specialized training, and ... if you're going to allow teachers to be armed, there has to be specialized training."

Physical aspects of security are just one piece of the puzzle, Kaufer said. A pattern has emerged in which people who commit school shootings previously show warning signs, but they are often not reported, or the entity to which they were reported doesn't take sufficient action.

"I think many schools have done a good job in elevating their level of physical security and operational security, but the threat assessment portion is often lacking," Kaufer said.

In Wyoming, Safe2Tell is a tip line through which students and teachers can report concerns about school safety, DePorter said.

"It's really important that schools and other organizations develop and foster an environment that says, 'Hey, we're not asking you to be the tattletale, but we want you to tell us'" if you see something that concerns you, Kaufer said. "We can help that person before they do something that they will regret for the rest of their lives."

Hannah Black is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's criminal justice reporter. She can be reached at hblack@wyomingnews.com or 307-633-3128. Follow her on Twitter at @hannahcblack.