Securing Cibola’s Schools

GRANTS, N.M. – School security is a matter of concern for the modern world. According to Superintendent Max Perez, security guards, supervision, training, equipment, facilities, and coordination with local law enforcement are the big picture of a student's safety.

The state made safety and security funding available in 2018. Perez said that Grants/Cibola County Schools took full advantage of, and utilized, all the funds they had allotted to them to improve fencing around many of the campuses. They used much of that funding for the vestibules at each school site and a smaller amount for cameras and access controls at some sites. Not every door has them yet but Perez says that they are working on it in layers. That was one source of funding. Currently they are searching for additional funding to continue the process. The schools have a District Safety and Security Team that meets almost every week at different school sights. They analyze the vulnerabilities of each school site and assess leads. Perez said they have a good list of things that need to be fixed or addressed at many of the school sights. This will be a continuous process.

Fencing is one of the things they looked at first. They plan to fix uneven and short fencing and want to add some wrought iron fencing between some parts of the schools. Perez stated, “You put as many layers as you can between an intruder and the school”. Another layer of security is a button with a camera that is on the front doors in the vestibules of most of the schools. Using this, the school staff can see and speak to people before they can enter the front doors of the school. Perez said, “On that second set of doors most schools right now, if not all… they have a button to open that door.”

There are cameras at every school site. Cameras at the schools have been placed in areas where they can get the most visuals as well as the most vulnerable places as well. Perez says they would like to get a few more cameras at some of their sites. After utilizing them for a while they have started to see that there is usually a need for another camera in another space.

Currently they have five security guards at Grants High School, One security guard at Laguna-Acoma High School with an open position available there, and two security guards at Los Alamitos Middle School. One of the guards at Grants High School is the District Security Lead. He oversees the high school security as well as security district wide. Perez said having those people in place is a foundation but they also want to make sure that their elementary schools are safe. Perez said that Milan and Grants Police Departments have been helpful in being present at the elementary and middle schools.

GCCS is also in negotiations with the Pueblo of Laguna and their police department to get a School Resource Officer at Laguna Acoma High School. Perez said that the SRO is essentially a school security officer who is a full-fledged and armed police officer at the school. Perez said that the schools used to have them in Grants as well, but the officers just aren’t available anymore, however, Grants/Cibola County Schools would like to get their guards to the level of armed security eventually.

All of the schools have a regular drill schedule that they go through with a few of them doing lockdown drills as well. Perez said that at this point, the police don’t have any talks with students scheduled for the future. Perez says that they are establishing a monthly meeting with all local law enforcement and emergency responders. This would be their first community wide meeting. They are hoping to do that sometime this month.