Entry buzzers, security cameras to greet Wake students in new school year

The school district has gradually stepped up security since 2013, following the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, and the upgrades that will greet students this year include secure entry buzzer access at each school to better track who comes and goes, as well as security cameras.

"We've made monumental changes to the way we secure the building," Eric Allen, senior administrator of facilities for the school district, said Tuesday. "Security is inconvenient, so we ask patience from the parents, and students need to remain vigilant as well."

Every school also will undergo annual threat assessments and conduct safety training, and more attention will be paid to communication between schools and law enforcement and schools and families.

"The cameras and access control, that's not a magic pill that's going to make our schools safer," said Russ Smith, the district's security director. "It's always incumbent upon us to have the support of not only the community, but our students and our staff. As soon as they hear or see something, let us know so that we can address it."

Dozens of the district's 72 school resource officers held their annual meeting Tuesday to discuss with area law enforcement officials ways to improve security on school campuses.

Wake County authorities are partnering with the FBI to better deal with online threats and hoaxes.

"We ask that our parents be alert, particularly with their student's social media engagements and any passwords that students have," said Crystal Reardon, the school district's director of counseling. "Make sure that you as parents have those passwords and you know what you're student is doing online, but also that you know to come to the school and reach out to the school counselor."

Teachers, counselors, students and parents remain the front line of defense to prevent a school tragedy, Reardon said.

"We want to make sure students have the skills to know what to identify," she said, "but that they also have the communication skills to be able to share when they feel unsafe and they know who to go to for that."