Ben Kemplin is director of Human Resources and Operations forLogan County Schools
Logan County Schools strive to provide a safe and secure environment for students to learn and staff to work. It takes vigilance and hard work to provide this safe learning environment. The Logan County School District has recently taken several steps to ensure students’ safety.
The district has added two new School Resources Officers, bringing the total to three SRO’s for six schools. Having this added police presence helps safeguard students. Having the additional SRO’s was made possible by a partnership between the school district and Logan County Fiscal Court.
The Green River Regional Educational Cooperative hosts regional safety meetings to keep schools and districts abreast of recent safety issues. Logan County has participated in these regional meetings which are attended by school districts across the region, members of the Kentucky State Police, the Kentucky Center for School Safety, and several other groups. During these meetings, school districts and safety personnel share things they are doing to prepare for tragedy and to help prevent it.
Over the past few years, schools have installed secure, locked entries in all buildings and are converting to keyless entries. Currently, Olmstead is the only school to have a secure vestibule, but over the next few years the district plans to install secure vestibules in all schools. A secure vestibule enables visitors to be buzzed into a secure area that leads directly to the office. This adds an additional level of security, forcing visitors to enter the office before being given permission to enter the rest of the building.
All schools and buses are equipped with high-definition security cameras. The district has installed 210 new bus cameras and has upgraded recording devices within the past two years.
Annually, schools are required to update their School Safety Plan which provides guidance if an emergency should occur. Schools also conduct drills for fire, earthquake, tornado, and lock down periodically throughout the school year. All Logan County Schools have completed Active Shooter Training provided by the Kentucky State Police, as well.
Another step taken to ensure students’ safety is to provide mental health counseling on all campuses. Certified mental health counselors will be available to meet with students confidentially. A Safe Schools Reporting Hotline also allows students the opportunity to anonymously report tips via voice mail, text, or email. The phone number and email address for this service can be found on the Logan County district web page.