BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — As the U.S. unites in mourning the loss of 19 children and two teachers at the hands of a gunman who opened fire at a Uvalde, Texas elementary school, schools across the nation are making efforts to enhance security measures on their own campuses.
Locally, school officials in the capital area are reassuring parents that in view of recent events, increased security is a priority.
One day after Tuesday’s mass shooting in Texas, Dr. Sito Narcisse, Superintendent of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System (EBR Schools) sent a letter to families that said, “As we all take the time to send our condolences to the school community and families of the victims of the mass shooting that took place Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas, my heart sinks as I immediately think of the children and families of East Baton Rouge Parish.”
He continued, “Our children depend on us to provide a safe environment for learning and enrichment in a school facility that is nourishing and protected. When a tragedy like this occurs, trust in the system weakens as questions over the security of our students begin to flood our minds. It is a perfectly reasonable process to consider safety protocols and measures during this time. I want to assure our school community of the measures being taken to ensure the safety of the students, staff and faculty.”
The letter went on to state that Narcisse has conferred with EBR Schools’ Director of Security and Chief of Schools to implement the following action items:
- Principals and supervisors are meeting with school leaders to review current security protocols.
- Risk assessments are being conducted, recorded and further analyzed for each school campus.
- Increasing intruder/active shooter training implementation scheduling.
- Reviewing campus landscapes for additional security needs.
Dr. Narcisse concluded the letter by stating, “We believe these action items will provide immediate improvements to the security measures currently in place. The safety and security of our school community are always our top priority. We will remain vigilant in working to keep our schools safe for all.”
EBR Schools has just over 41,000 students in its 83 campuses.
