Threat made at Taylor High School
By ZEINAB NAJM
Sunday Times Newspapers
TAYLOR — The Taylor School District School Board unanimously approved a new security system from The LockOut Co., LLC, which will be implemented in all district buildings by the fall.
A presentation was given to the Board of Education during its Jan. 19 meeting by owner Rob Couturier and his daughter, Brennan Couturier. The Smart Boot System issues bluetooth technology and is a comprehensive school lockdown and building security system designed to ensure every room becomes a safe zone, according to the website.
With the approval, the $1.7 million system is scheduled to be ready by the upcoming school year and partners with the Taylor Police Department to keep students and staff safe.
The district will be the first in Wayne County with the security system.
Other work being done by the district to ensure school safety is providing active shooter civilian response training to staff with the help of the Police Department.
The next training will be held Feb. 22, and once staff completes its training, the district will hold an Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate day in early spring to review the protocols and practices with students, a district Facebook post said.
“We will continue to work with the police and our entire district to ensure all of our staff and students know the most up-to-date ALICE procedures going forward,” the post said. “We are proud to partner with the Taylor Police Department to help train our staff on this very serious matter and thank them for their continued support of our district.”
As the board and district works to ensure a safe school environment, another threatening note was found in a Taylor High School bathroom, leading to a lockdown Jan. 25.
WDIV Channel 4 reported that police were notified about 12:51 p.m. and are investigating the situation. Nobody was allowed to enter the high school until the all-clear was given.
Similar threats made in Taylor schools have led to arrests and juvenile court for students involved.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected].)