Putnam Schools SERT Team Makes Recommendations To Improve System Safety

As schools reopen, safety remains a top priority.

Putnam County Schools’ School Emergency Response Team works with all county emergency personnel and school staff to develop emergency plans for each school.

Deputy Director Tim Martin said it includes the Sheriff’s Department, local police agencies, ambulance services and fire departments.

Martin said there is a SERT both at the district level and at each individual school.

“And as different things occur in the community, the district will sometimes send out things to the school level,” Martin said. “And say we’d like for your school SERT team to consider this issue or that issue, or tell us what you think about this, or something like that.”

Martin said this is something the county has been doing for some time. He said the state is now working to put similar strictures in place that would be a requirement for systems statewide.

Martin said one of the most important recommendations from the teams made recently was to upgrade door locks in the buildings. He said currently many school doors only lock from the outside which poses not only safety but classroom issues.

“It presents a pretty big issue for a lot of our teachers,” Martin said. “It interrupts your class every time a student goes to the restroom, every time a student comes in late, it interrupts your class. So what we’re trying to do is replace with door locks that the teacher can lock from inside the classroom.”

Martin said the team also made recommendations to get a new integrated camera system. He said the new system will allow emergency personnel to access cameras in all the schools in the event of an emergency.