State school-safety official reviews triennial vulnerability assessments for district

Chris Thomas, the state school-safety program coordinator for the Southwest Region, gave trustees an overview of triennial vulnerability assessments that examine building access, doors, visitor management systems and emergency operations planning.

Thomas described intruder assessments that include unannounced observations of building access and staff responses, checks of visitor-management capability and reviews of emergency annexes for hazards such as nearby gas lines or landslide-prone areas. “Bottom line is we're all here for student safety, and that's kinda what we're all here for,” Thomas said, urging boards to use the free templates, trainings and resources on the state school safety website.

He noted some findings are protected and cannot be discussed openly because the detailed vulnerability reports are confidential under state public-records law; he recommended addressing common issues such as door repairs, drainage from exterior HVAC condensate and ensuring staff know lockdown and evacuation procedures.