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Wyoming To Update Security At Schools Across State

Next year, state officials will visit every school building in the state to determine what safety and security upgrades need to be made. It’s part of a school safety initiative pushed by the Governor and Legislature in the wake of high-profile school shootings in other parts of the country.

The assessments will be conducted by the School Facilities Department—the state agency responsible for school construction in Wyoming. The Department’s Director, Bill Panos says the school visits will take place between January and June of 2015.

“That will involve the review of all 25 million square feet of space,” says Panos. “365 education facilities, plus all the support facilities including bus barns, modular classrooms, those sorts of things. It’s probably one of the most extensive assessment efforts that we’ve ever undertaken.”

The assessments will be based on new security standards developed by the School Facilities Department. They were presented to lawmakers last week. Those standards include things like classroom doors that lock from the inside and elevator alarms. Panos says the assessment process will cost about $1.8 million.

“All of our students throughout Wyoming—all of the staff that work at the schools—deserve to have a safe and secure place to learn,” says Panos. “And it is incumbent upon us to make sure that all of the schools in Wyoming create that safe, secure place.”

After assessments are completed, Panos says, the state will spend as much time and money as necessary to get every school in compliance with the new guidelines.

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