Task force proposed in NK to enhance school security

PICAS Task Force volunteers could soon be manning main entrances to New Kent County schools.

PICAS, by the way, is an acronym for Protecting Innocent Children At School, a local resident-based volunteer “task force” that is the brainchild of Ron Stiers, the District 4 representative on the county’s Board of Supervisors. Stiers came up with the concept in the wake of last December’s tragic school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

“After Connecticut, I began asking myself what can we do to protect our students,” he said in a Feb. 15 interview.

PICAS is the result, and Stiers has pitched the concept to Sheriff F.W. “Wakie” Howard Jr. and school superintendent Rick Richardson. Both are on board, he said.

For now, main entrances to all four county schools as manned by school staff members who screen visitors, asking for identification before access is allowed. PICAS volunteers would free those personnel to return to regular school duties, Stiers said.

“The reason I want to get volunteers is if I don’t get volunteers, there’ll be demand for paid staff to come in and do it,” he said. “Then the people who’d be footing the bill would be the taxpayers.”

Stiers said he would draw on his experience with attracting volunteers in order to staff all four schools. He spearheaded a successful all-volunteer campaign to clean up the Woodhaven Shores community following hurricane and tornado disasters in 2011 and organizes an annual Thanksgiving Day feast that also features an all-volunteer cast.

“The volunteers are out there. All you have to do is ask them,” he said.

If the PICAS effort comes to fruition, volunteers would man entrances in two four-hour shifts (8 a.m.-12 noon and 12 noon-4 p.m.) on school days, he said. Those volunteers would wear some means of identification, possibly a shirt emblazoned with a task force logo. Fifteen to 20 volunteers “should make it work,” he said, adding that he is aiming for a mid-March start.

Volunteers must go through criminal and sex offender background checks and be fingerprinted. There would also be a one-day training session conducted by sheriff’s office personnel. Volunteers, however, would not carry firearms or other weapons.

“The training would go over the do’s and don’ts and what the volunteers are supposed to do,” Stiers said. “For instance, let’s say you’re monitoring the door and a fight breaks out between students. Are you supposed to break up that fight or continue monitoring the door?”

Howard, meanwhile, said Stiers’ proposal fits in with the first solid recommendation from a school safety committee comprised of local and outside law enforcement (Newport News and James City are assisting) and county school officials that is assessing the security situation and needs at county schools.

“Identification must be checked on everybody visiting the schools, and consistency is the key,” the sheriff said, pointing to the first recommendation.

“There could be a few other recommendations coming back once a school assessment survey is completed at all four schools,” he said, adding that as of last week, three schools remain.

“The reason we do it with law enforcement personnel from other jurisdictions is that it gives you a fresh set of eyes to look at something we may have missed,” the sheriff said.

Provided Stiers’ concept meets with approval, volunteers would be under school system supervision, not the sheriff’s office, Howard said. The sheriff’s office would provide fingerprinting free of charge, but the school system must pay the $65 cost per person for background checks, he added.

While he endorses Stiers’ plan, Howard said the all-volunteer concept could be a bit ambitious.

“To have volunteers all year at all four schools, that’s a pretty big commitment,” the sheriff said.

Howard said, however, that the wheels are in motion to place a full time SRO (school resource officer) at G.W. Watkins Elementary for the next school year.

“We’ve applied for a grant to cover the SRO cost and put it in our [next year proposed] budget,” he added.

Richardson, meanwhile, said the county’s School Board is aware of Stiers’ proposal and notes that “chances are very good” that the board could look favorably on the plan.

“But I don’t want to comment on behalf of the board at this point,” he added.

He said the board is awaiting a full report from the assessment surveys at all schools.

“We’ll sit down at the table and do the assessment and security recommendations,” he said. “Then we’ll come back to Ron and make a decision at the board level on what to do with [Stiers’ plan].

“We want to take back to the board all recommendations and consider them as a whole. We don’t want to piecemeal it,” he said. “Our goal is to get it done by mid-March.”

Both Howard and Richardson said that for security reasons, some of the final recommendations would not be released to the public.