Mayor Winnecke Leads Discussion on School Safety Issues

A meeting was held on Wednesday in the office of Mayor Lloyd Winnecke to discuss school safety issues in light of the tragic school shooting Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

Mayor Winnecke and EVSC School Superintendent Dr. David Smith talked by phone Monday and agreed to organize the meeting quickly to ensure the continued safety of our students. The meeting included representatives from the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation, Evansville Catholic Diocese, Evansville Day School, Evansville Christian School, Evansville Lutheran School, Joshua Academy, Signature School, the Evansville Police Department, Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office and Central Dispatch.

The roundtable discussion resulted in three immediate action steps.

1) Local officials will begin the process of sharing uniform security procedures with the goal of forming a uniform emergency protocol to aid law enforcement in emergency situations.

2) All school buildings and facilities will undergo a safety reassessment.

3) Funding will be sought to further enhance security measures in all Evansville and Vanderburgh County schools.

The group also agreed to expand the discussion to include emergency dispatchers, Emergency Medical Services personnel, and representatives from the University of Evansville, University of Southern Indiana and Ivy Tech Community College.

Conversations about enhanced school safety will continue over the holidays with specific groups of individuals, and the group as a whole will meet again in January.