Security director Dison hopes to get all Bossier schools online

“A lot of our schools were not designed with security in mind,” said Director of Security for Bossier Schools Danny Dison. “The older schools were built when security was a second thought, when it wasn’t a major issue.”

With instances of violence in schools nationally occurring more and more often, security is the main focus for administrators and school employees. Dison has already implemented surveillance camera systems in all Bossier middle and high schools, and said his next goal is to get cameras in all 16 area elementary schools.

He purchased the camera equipment for the high and middle schools with money from a Title IV grant , and said he hopes to be able to use more of those funds for getting the elementary schools online.

Meadowview Elementary principal Dr. Shelly Barrett has been researching possible funding sources to pay for the new camera equipment. She recently completed a grant proposal for the Safe Routes to School Program, which she was hoping would be able to land some money for more cameras, but said it didn’t fit into the plan.

Due to the openness that Meadowview’s design presents, cameras would be a welcome addition to help keep an eye on campus, according to secretary Shelley Wheeler.  

Wheeler said that because the front office at Meadowview lacks a view of who is coming and going from the main entrance to the school,  a security mirror was installed a few years ago to provide more visual awareness. Wheeler, an advocate for children’s safety, said the area would be better protected with cameras.

“(A camera system) would add an element of support for situations that need to be looked at,” said Barrett. “Especially during off campus times, non-school hours, then that would really allow us to solve situations.”

She said that though the school is functioning well without them, that cameras would add another level of support. Recent  acts of vandalism on school property might have been averted if a camera system was currently in place on campus, according to Barrett.

Stockwell Elementary Principal Tim Thompson, whose school also recently suffered some defacing, echoed those sentiments. He said the safety of his children is priority number one and that he is all for anything that helps toward that end.

“I can’t lock every door all day long, I can’t do that, so security cameras would be certainly beneficial for situations where you can’t lock every door,” said Thompson.

Thompson said Dison has been proactive on all matters of security and the he keeps all of the principals well informed through updates at regular meetings.

Both Meadowview and Stockwell students recently participated in crisis lockdown drills that prepare students to
deal with an armed intruder situation or a situation involving an incident in the school’s surrounding area.
According to Dison, a recent incident in the Meadowview area in which police were chasing suspects in a burglary in daylight hours forced the school into lockdown mode.

“It would not be unheard of for individuals to run through a school or to actually seek refuge in a school, so we’re going to do what we need to do to keep our children safe,” said Dison. “If that means locking doors, then we lock it up.”

to Thompson, on a recent visitHomer Middle School to mentor the new principal,  he was amazed by their surveillance camera system. He said every classroom had a camera in it, and that the feed from each was available on an internet feed for parents to watch. “I know not everyone would agree with, but I am all for cameras in classrooms on live feed. They do it in daycares all the time.”

One area daycare that features internet feeds for parents to login in to is Cornerstone Child Development Center in north Bossier City. The daycare has had the cameras in place since opening in June 2002, and part owner Theresa Hunsicker said they have never gotten negative feedback from any parents in regards to the system.
She said that the cameras provide more of a comfort for parents than work for security purposes at the center.

“It offers them a lot of security to be able to view into the classrooms,” said Hunsicker. “It’s not an issue where parents are checking up on daycare, it’s just a comfort level to be able to watch their kids throughout the day.”

According to Hunsicker, in a few situations where  a baby was taking his or her first steps, they were able to contact the parent and tell them to log on so that they could participate vicariously by watching the video feed. Hunsicker said they have been able to provide feeds for parents in Iraq, and that being a parent herself, she enjoys being able to look in on her daughter when she is out of town.

In addition to the camera systems, Dison said there is also a possibility of student resource officers being implemented at elementary schools in the future. Because of costs and the staffing demand it creates, Dison said the process of getting the officers in the elementary schools would take more time than installing security cameras.

He said that if everything works out as planned, that elementary school SROs could be in schools soon. 

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