School Safety Corner: Evansville Buildings and Grounds; Joe Francis reviews some options for safety

If you click on the post, you will see the article on NBC15 regarding school safety, and specifically at Big Foot High School. All Schools in Southern Wisconsin have initiated additional safety procedures, and more are on the way. One of the items of concern----how to pay for them.

At last Thursday's Buildings and Grounds meeting at 7am, Joe Francis reviewed a menu of additonal safety items that could be purchased. That list is included in the capital equipment wish list published on the blog earlier. The list includes additonal cameras, entrance systems, additonal locking systems at the main entrance, barriers etc.

The Observer was not privy to the detailed costs involved. It was clear it was expensive. These items were not budget items. Mr. Hatfield reflected after listening to the list of cameras possible for addition, and the additonal wiring that was necessary----that wireless cameras were the new mode and that further, cameras are nice for making history--but cameras would not have made a difference in any of the much publicized school violence stories. In most cases, on the ground school personnel are the difference, and in fact the situation is over many times by the time the police get there. The specilaized swat team might get there 30 minutes after the local police. So---the key thing is to put the budget where it will make a difference.

After listening to the tickler list of possible expenses, the committee moved to refer it to the larger school board since it appears that a long range approach is needed on school safety.