Avoyelles Parish schools safer than 5 years ago

Schools in Avoyelles Parish are safer than they were five years ago due to security improvements implemented by the public school district, Avoyelles Parish School District Superintendent Blaine Dauzat said.

The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 people dead has reopened the national debate on school safety and caused a look at that issue locally, as well.

“We are doing everything we can with the limited resources we have available to make our campuses as safe as possible,” Dauzat said. “However, we are not naive enough to believe that we will ever be 100 percent protected. I don’t believe any school or school system can honestly say that they are.”

Dauzat noted the School Board has spent thousands of dollars on security improvements at all APSD schools. One improvement is to establish a single point of entry at all schools.

Elementary schools are surrounded by a fence, have a single entry point and visitors must be “buzzed in” at that entry door.

The high schools have fenced campuses, single entry and an armed school resource officer watching students, faculty and visitors entering the school campus.

“We have the responsibility to make sure our schools are safe,’ Dauzat continued. “We hold lockdown drills, active shooter drills and intruder drills with the students and staff. After the drill, we get on the intercom and tell the students what they did well and what needs to be improved.”

The school system has conducted “active shooter” training exercises with area law enforcement agencies and first responders twice in the past three years.

The most recent was at Avoyelles High. The drill was filmed and trainers broke down the participants’ actions to show what was done correctly and what needed more attention.

Dauzat said APSD maintains an immediate line of communication to all law enforcement agencies in the parish.

“The sheriff and police chiefs around the parish are very helpful,” Dauzat continued. “They take my calls right away.”

Dauzat said there has been no major security-related incident for the past few years, since an unloaded gun was found at Marksville High and, in a separate and related event, an unarmed intruder ran through the school’s hall.

There have been lockdowns due to nearby events that did not directly involve the schools.

Dauzat said the district is always looking at ways to improve security and provide the safest environment possible for students and school employees.