More officers are in place at Floyd schools

The addition of four off-duty police officers in each school zone of the Floyd County school system has taken effect, as security improvements continue.

The addition of four off-duty police officers in each school zone has taken effect.

Off-duty police officers have already begun to monitor the four school zones of the Floyd County school system and assessments are in the works to determine how to add “security atriums” at each middle school, according to information presented to board members Tuesday.

The Floyd County Board of Education met Tuesday morning for a called meeting for an update on the ongoing discussion on school safety.

During last week’s regular board meeting, approval was given for the system to go ahead and bring on an off-duty police officer for each of the system’s four school zones at an approximate cost of $52,000 for the rest of the school year. Director of Student Services Glenn White said the officers are rotated in and out depending on their schedule, and since last week there have been an off-duty officer and a school resource officer in each of the school zones.

Also, Director of Facilities David Van Hook said he will be meeting with a representative of Brown & Root Industrial Services to have an assessment Glenn White done on how to add a security atrium at each of the system’s middle schools and how much this would cost. These security atriums would isolate visitors until they are cleared by office personnel and buzzed in through doors leading to the rest of the school.

Van Hook said there are several options on how to do this. For one example, another set of doors, which would be unlocked through a buzz-in system, could be added beside the front office.

The goal is to have the security atriums constructed by the start of next school year. Also the system is looking at adding buzz-in entry systems at the middle schools.

School security audits are also slated to begin today. The review will look at what security measures are in place at schools and what could possibly be done to bolster security. The audits will be done through an app shared by the state Department of Education that guides the assessment on 100 questions.

A school safety subcommittee was also set to be created Tuesday during a meeting of the Local School Coordinating Council. Volunteers from each of the school zones are being sought to take part in security reviews and take part in the discussion.

The system is also promoting a tip line through the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office as an outlet for teens to report possible threats or incidents. Also adding Safe & Sound Youth Council chapters — based on a model from the nonprofit Safe & Sound Schools, started by a mother whose daughter was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting — is being explored to engage students in the conversation.