D51 discusses school safety measures

At its first school board meeting of the year, District 51 turned its focus to school safety.

Its welcoming community input and ideas on what changes could be made.

The issue of safety has become a hot topic in the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Mesa County’s school district has been actively working with local authorities and the community to revise and strengthen its school safety plan.

Groups have already approached District 51 with proposals, one volunteering to have armed community members provide security.

At this point, officials say all options are on the table.

“We’re evaluating where we are at. Are we in a good spot?” Tim Leon, D51 director of safety and transportation, said.  “Some of the stuff that we do here procedurally is similar to what Sandy Hook had in place. We know some of those procedures actually saved lives”

Even before the Sandy Hook massacre, District 51 was working to upgrade its facilities with the goal of keeping students safe.

It just recently installed keyless locks in several of its schools. That allows officials to lock down an entire building with the swipe of a card if students are thought to be in danger.