Is local school safe enough post Uvalde? District officials try to address concerns
More than 50 people showed up earlier this month when Peninsula School District officials met with parents and teachers at Discovery Elementary School to talk about school safety.
The school was built in 1981 with an open floor plan concept, meaning the classrooms do not have interior doors. Without classroom doors and with the recent Uvalde, Texas school shooting, parents told the district at the June 8 meeting that they’re concerned and believe something needs to change.
Discovery Elementary is the only school in the district that doesn’t have interior doors. It’s the last school in the district from the open-plan era.
“We don’t have anyone in the district saying we need to keep the no doors,” said John Hellwich, assistant superintendent at Peninsula School District.
The district needs to establish a process to determine its highest priorities, examine the advantages of potential changes, and to decide what to use its funds on, Hellwich said.
One parent asked: “Are doors at Discovery Elementary on the list of priorities?”
District officials said they have not begun the process or had a meeting to establish what those priorities are and where they rank. The district did not provide parents a timeline for deciding whether or not putting interior doors in Discovery Elementary is a priority.
“Both the school environment and safety are a priority for our school board and other district leaders. As of right now there is no timeline to share for upgrades at Discovery, but the process is moving forward,” Aimee Gordon, the district’s director of communications told The Gateway Friday via email.
What district, first responders do to prepare
The meeting with parents and teachers began with Gig Harbor Fire Department and Gig Harbor Police Department officials explaining to parents their role in safety protocols with the schools.
“We are always here promoting safety,” Todd Meyer, assistant chief of operations at Gig Harbor Fire said at the meeting.
The fire department spends weekends participating in fire training as a department at the schools in the district. They become familiar with the buildings, know the back ways to get in, and examine remodels that buildings undergo to try to reduce risk, Meyer said.
“We are also here observing the emergency drills at the schools, so that we can guide staff, give advice, and get the chance to be in the building participating with the staff and kids,” Meyer said.
Similar to the fire department, the police department trains at schools during summer and Christmas break, preparing for potential emergencies.
“Can we eliminate all risk? No. But can we get better at the way we respond in emergencies? Yes,” Police Chief Kelly Busey said.
The district reminded parents of the changes they have made in the past to ensure safety and security. These include staff training for emergency situations and entry point systems added at the main entrance at schools — every visitor must identify themselves and why they are there before being granted access to a building. The district has also enforced fence clearing to remove visual barriers around fences such as shrubs and they have radios inside school buses for better communication.
District officials said they are still working on the new district-wide strategic plan that could include safety and security revisions. They reminded parents that safety and security includes more components than just preparing for potential intruders, but also natural disasters and other emergencies.
Discovery Elementary parent Brittany Rushing asked: “Does a tragedy need to happen here for things to change?”
Other questions from parents included:
- “How low on the priority list is getting doors installed?”
- “Is this school less safe than all the other elementary schools in the district that have interior classroom doors?”
- “What can us parents do to make us feel safe enough to send our kids to school?”
‘We have a plan for whatever happens’
Parents asked if the district would grant transfer requests for their children to attend a different school in the district that they felt was safer.
Krestin Bahr, Superintendent at Peninsula School District, told parents transfer requests will go to Discovery Elementary Principal Delonna Halliday.
“I’ve been teaching at Discovery for almost 20 years, and the topic of doors has been a conversation you have every year,” teacher Ron Witter said at the meeting.
He said this is as far as they’ve ever gotten and thanked everyone for showing up.
“I understand your concerns about your kids and you want to see your kids come home every day. And I want you to know that our teachers and our administrators in this building take that charge very seriously. And even though we don’t have doors, we do have plans,” he said. “So, I hope that you can take some solace in that, knowing that we have a plan for whatever happens.”
One parent pointed out the pamphlet handed out at the meeting said: “During a full lock down, students and staff will remain in classrooms behind locked doors, staying quiet and out of sight.”
That’s not possible at Discovery Elementary without interior doors, the parent said.
Facilities director Patrick Gillespie told parents it can’t be fixed overnight. Big changes like putting in doors take time, he said. The process includes looking into logistics of the building, adding fire sprinklers in new locations, bringing in an architect, getting input from staff and filing permits. Supply chain trouble and labor shortages during the pandemic are additional challenges, Gillespie said.
The district does not have an estimated cost for what it would take to install interior doors, Gordon said.
Bahr said she and Glover will take all input and begin discussions.
“There is going to have to be further conversation but we are paying attention and heard everything you had to say tonight,” Bahr told those at the meeting.
While waiting on further discussions, one parent proposed parents volunteer to come into the school and be extra hands around exits to make sure doors are always closed and exits are secured.
Bahr said she encourages parents to bring their ideas to Principal Halliday.
Corrections: An earlier version of this article misstated who will handle transfer requests. Superintendent Bahr told parents that transfer requests can be sent to Discovery Elementary School Principal Delonna Halliday. This story has also been updated to clarify how parents can work with school administration when it comes to safety. Parents cannot enact or enforce safety policies.
This story was originally published June 19, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
