SAD 1 tightening security; adding e-mail, Web alert

PRESQUE ISLE – With plans to add more sophisticated surveillance cameras at the high school and develop a better notification system for parents, SAD 1 officials are working to tighten security in the district.

The efforts are under way in large part because of three recent bomb threats at Presque Isle High School. The threats, which occurred between the beginning and middle of November, have prompted school officials to make several improvements to their crisis plans and to the infrastructure of the high school.

Eric Waddell, high school principal, confirmed in an e-mail last week that officials were working on several measures, including:

. An advanced e-mail notification system for parents in the event of an emergency. Waddell said that the school’s information systems director has hit some roadblocks in setting up the system. He said most Internet providers will identify the same e-mail correspondence sent to multiple addresses as spam and block it. He added that in the event of an emergency, there is no time to send multiple e-mails in “smaller batches.” Officials are working on a solution.

. An immediate alert that will be posted on the district’s Web site, which is www.sad1.org, when the school is in crisis mode.

. The addition of more sophisticated surveillance cameras immediately outside the high school restrooms. The bomb threats were found in the school’s restrooms.

. A reduction in the number of public entrances on the high school complex from nine to five. The five entrances that will remain open are monitored closely by surveillance cameras or are located next to staffed offices.

. A clarification in policy that requires all students to leave their book bags, duffel bags and backpacks behind in the event of an evacuation.

. A photo ID badge system that will be initiated at the high school before the holiday break. Tim McCue, SAD 1’s school safety director, soon will be implementing the system districtwide.

Officials also are encouraging parents not to pick up their children during an evacuation because doing so creates a distraction for administrators and teachers and adds anxiety to an already stressful situation. Students are brought to secure evacuation sites during a crisis. However, officials are requiring parents who want to dismiss their children during a crisis to physically pick them up from the evacuation site and sign them out.

District officials are continuing to work with local law enforcement agencies in apprehending the individuals responsible for the November bomb threats. The crimes are Class C felonies.