24/7: Safety Doesn't Stop At Boulder Valley School District

Boulder CO

04 May, 2022

12:49 AM

Description

Press release from the Boulder Valley School District: May 2, 2022 Weekends, evenings, holidays and even through a pandemic, the BVSD security team is on duty. Their work may not always be visible, but it is always happening behind the scenes ensuring the safety of students, staff and our BVSD communities. Abdeil Salas, the Lead Dispatcher, knows this all too well. Each morning he shows up for work at 6 a.m. to relieve the overnight shift. Salas has been a dispatcher for the district for 12 years and understands just how important his team's responsibilities are. "I feel like it affects so many different aspects of students' and staff members' lives, and they're not always aware of it," explained Salas. "But that's ok. We're in the background and we're doing what we need to do to keep everybody safe." The dispatch center is the central security hub for the district. Everything to do with safety and security goes through dispatch. When a safety or security situation happens at a school, dispatch is able to send a mass notification to BVSD leaders including security staff within the district, administrators, transportation, maintenance and communications. This allows for the quickest response and deployment of needed resources to assist with the situation. "Any emergency calls from schools must first go to 911 and then we [dispatch] are the second call," added Salas. "We have many [security and safety] systems and resources in place to assist." This includes working very closely with local law enforcement agencies as well as the Boulder Office of Emergency Management for larger events. "There is a lot of information coordination and making sure that we are taking the best possible comprehensive approach to make sure our employees, students and buildings are safe," said Brendan Sullivan, Director of Safety, Security and Emergency Management. Sullivan says the dispatch center monitors approximately 30,000 transactions a day between people accessing the buildings and activity inside and outside of the buildings. They monitor cameras at all of the schools, control door access, and assign permissions for badges needed to enter buildings. They can even utilize school intercom systems remotely from the dispatch center should the need arise to facilitate mass notification. In addition, they take calls from staff and the neighboring community anytime they see something suspicious in or around a school. "It's [security] a layered approach," Sullivan explained. "There's lots and lots of different concepts, practices, procedures, policies, best practices and national standards that are strictly followed. We're constantly making sure that we're on top of what the current trends and best practices are. We review critical incidents and mass violence occurrences to see what lessons learned there are for schools." While dispatchers are monitoring the entire district, School Safety Advocates are physically in the schools each and every day. They are there to help with investigations (such as bullying, harassment, or Title IX issues). They focus on emergency preparedness and prevention for the schools they are assigned to, they provide expertise and advice to principals on safety and security decisions, and they take time every day to build strong relationships with the students. Steven Brown is a School Safety Advocate for the southwest network. He is assigned to Monarch High School, Monarch PK-8 and Louisville Middle School. He's been with MHS for 5 years, previously as a campus safety monitor. He became their safety advocate in October 2021 when that team officially came on board throughout the district. School Safety Advocates are employed by BVSD and have backgrounds in safety and security. "I think relationship building is the key to success in this job," said Brown. "What I try to do in all three of my schools is engage with the students because I really feel like the more relationships we build, the more trust we obtain from those kids. We can have good conversations when they hit a speed bump, and we just try to make sure that the students are comfortable with us and that they know that their safety is our primary concern." Brown and the entire team of School Safety Advocates work very closely with first responders so they clearly understand each other's roles and responsibilities. "It's very important for local public safety to be involved in our process," explained Sullivan. "They are going to be the ones to respond to an event. When there's a medical emergency it's going to be the Fire Department and an ambulance to carry out the care. When there is a criminal or harmful event, it will be law enforcement. We understand each group's expectations , and how to work together effectively." The BVSD security team is dedicated to staff and students and are there to help in any way they can, at any time. In fact, it wouldn't be unusual to see a School Safety Advocate attending outside school events such as athletic events, band events, drama events and graduation ceremonies. "We are trying to show the kids that we are here for them, to help them and support them throughout their journey," Brown compassionately added. "Sometimes there's a point in your life where your heart and your mind tells you that you're in the right spot, and I know for sure that I'm in the right spot. I consider Monarch a family member to me, and I'd do anything here to help the students and the staff and the administration make good decisions regarding student safety." "The entire security team is a phenomenal group of professionals that are extremely dedicated to this district," said Sullivan. "They are dedicated to our students to ensure that they are safe and that school is a safe place for them. They are dedicated to the district and the mission of serving kids and ensuring that when they show up tomorrow or the next school day, it's ready to go for them and it's safe for them." Learn more about BVSD's Security Efforts This press release was produced by the Boulder Valley School District. The views expressed here are the author's own.