The Calcasieu Parish School Board is making efforts to amp up school security with administrators recently attending a Safety and Security summit to strengthen the principles that keep students, teachers and administrators safe.

Superintendent Shannon LaFargue said attendees learned “it is much better to do a few critical things very well.”

CPSB has adopted the acronym SEAL — Supervise, Entry, Awareness and Lock — to define their school safety standards.

“SEAL provides a quick recognition acronym that encompasses what measures are to be taken daily,” LaFargue said. “Our focus is on doing the most important things great and often.”

School employees will supervise by keeping “eyes on all individuals, at all times, in all places, to the greatest extent possible,” LaFargue said.

Entry will be instituted by maintaining consistent moderation of “all access points, at all times, to the greatest extent possible.” Awareness will be practiced by encouraging staff and students to have situational awareness and “know your surroundings and have the foreseeability to be proactive.”

Lock serves as a reminder to lock exterior and interior doors.

“These measures are recommended by experts in campus security,” LaFargue said. “The most important aspect of any security plan, however, is to not allow complacency to evolve.”

LaFargue said it was stressed that “complacency can be our greatest enemy.” As a result, CPSB is pushing out reminders to schools weekly to remind them of the importance of upkeeping the administrators’ checklists.

He said in high-risk situations, time is critical.

“The goal is to deter, delay, and prevent through measures and law enforcement response. In the Uvalde incident, there was a breakdown in all these areas —door propped open, classroom not locked, work order not turned in, and delayed action by law enforcement.  We can’t afford to have these breakdowns.

“By ‘SEALing’ our campuses at all times, our staff can ensure that we are covering those critical points necessary for school safety and security.”

The institution of these principles are not the only steps being taken. Safety work orders are being completed by administration to address safety concerns, such as malfunctioning doors and lighting fixtures.

Additionally, there are district-wide requirements to develop crisis response plans, and to execute drills that address school safety and security concerns.

LaFargue said CPSB staff works collaboratively with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office and all local law enforcement agencies, including the use of the “CloseWatch Calcasieu” app, which allows students to send tips directly to CPSO.

Since the first day of school, there have been incidents that threatened school safety at Sam Houston High, LaGrange High and Moss Bluff Middle schools.

CPSB released a statement explaining that any “person, including students, making threatening comments, writings, or actions” towards any school will experience immediate action by law enforcement and will receive the maximum disciplinary action allowed under policy.

“The Calcasieu Parish School Board will have a zero-tolerance approach to any such behavior. The safety of our students, faculty, and staff will always be our No. 1 priority. We want to assure parents and guardians that our campuses are safe places for students, and that will always be our primary focus.”

“We recognize that these unfortunate situations can occur anywhere,” LaFargue said. “But we are committed to mitigating risk through a layered approach to hardening our schools. We have been historically very proactive in addressing school safety and security.”

LaFargue wants students, parents and stakeholders to know that “a school principal’s greatest concern is the safety and security of their student body.”

He reaffirmed CPSB is committed to maintaining all layers of mitigation, including “addressing mental health issues, establishing a culture of communication and awareness, being habitual in daily SEAL safety procedures, providing local law enforcement presence, assessing facilities and campuses, executing campus drills, and staying informed of best practices through law enforcement agency collaboration and campus security professional development.”

For LaFargue and those at CPSB, it is imperative for school systems to have a healthy working relationship with law enforcement.

“We have been fortunate to have that collaborative relationship with CPSO and look forward to developing measures to harden our schools to the greatest extent possible,” he said. “By contrast to the last two national school incidents, there is no doubt that our local agencies would not hesitate in defending our children.”