3 Paso Robles schools are upgrading security in wake of vandalism, threat. Here’s how
After a school year marked by vandalism, threats and a lockdown, three schools in Paso Robles are upgrading their surveillance systems starting this fall.
The new technology, provided by the system software company Verkada, will be installed in Paso Robles High School, Flamson Middle School and Daniel E. Lewis Middle School.
Paso Robles High will install 38 new security cameras throughout its campus as well as 15 environmental sensors, also known as vape sensors, in boys’ and girls’ bathrooms. Some of these cameras will replace older, previously installed cameras, according to the approved proposal.
Meanwhile, Flamson and Lewis middle schools will be getting 21 new security cameras and six environmental sensors each.
Paso Robles Unified School District is installing the new surveillance systems to better protect students and provide social and emotional support for those who need assistance with behavior or addictions, said Scott Buller, the district’s director of information technology.
“Safety and security of our students and staff has always been a top priority of our school district,” Buller said. “ The addition of this new equipment is only enabling us to continue our goals of safety and being able to minimize the distractions to focus on the education of our students.”
Buller said that the cameras will have features such as facial recognition and encryption.
The system will be “highly secure,” he said, and allow the district to grant the Paso Robles Police Department temporary access to real-time video footage in the case of a major incident.
“If there was an intruder on campus, police would have live view to see what’s happening, to help improve their decision making and their response time,” Buller said. “That’s something that we hope we never need, but if we do, it’s a great feature that our old system could never have done.”
The vape sensors, which will be placed in bathrooms across the three school campuses, will be able to detect nicotine smoke as well as atmospheric factors such as oxygen rates and humidity, Buller said.
He said the sensors will allow schools to identify which students might need support with drug addictions.
The new surveillance equipment for the three schools will be installed by Safe and Sound Systems for just under $316,000, an expense that was approved at a special district Board of Trustees meeting on June 7.
Paso Robles school safety improvements come after lockdown, vandalism
Upgrades to Paso Robles High’s surveillance system were initially approved at a Jan. 11 district meeting — four days after a large umbrella was mistaken for a gun in the high school, leading to a brief lockdown.
At that meeting, Buller said he found that nine out of 35 security cameras at the high school were disconnected at the time of the incident, something that could have been “a huge issue had there been something else where we needed an event on the location.”
Buller said then that Paso Robles High’s cameras were mostly connected to each other via wireless technology. Sometimes, he said, those links went down.
“The old infrastructure has not worked,” Buller said. “It’s caused a lot of issues.”
At its June meeting, the Paso Robles school board installing new security cameras and sensors at Flamson and Lewis middle schools.
Buller said that the conversation of adding surveillance measures at those schools had started months before the meeting.
But a string of incidents that happened at the end of the school year solidified the need for them, he said.
On June 4, two 14-year-olds were arrested on suspicion of vandalism for allegedly attempting to set small fires at Lewis Middle School and painting graffiti across the campus.
The same day, three Lewis Middle School students after they allegedly brought a toy gun, a pocketknife and a fake hand grenade to campus.
Two days later, another student at the school was arrested on suspicion of making a school shooting threat online.
Buller said that parents and students have responded well to the scheduled upgrades to the schools’ surveillance systems.
“Everything I’ve heard is positive,” Buller said. “With some of the school violence that has been in the news, there has been a lot of support to make sure there is safety and security.”
Buller said most of Paso Robles High’s new security system features are scheduled to be installed this summer.
He added that it was “probably unlikely” that the three schools will finish installing the upgraded equipment before the start of the school year, due to supply chain issues.
If necessary, Buller said, the installation will continue in the fall.
“My biggest hope is that we allow students and parents to know that Paso Robles’ school district is constantly looking for ways to make sure the students and staff are safe,” Buller said, “as well as focusing the amazing education that they can receive.”
This story was originally published July 14, 2022 at 5:05 AM.
