As families prepare to send students back to school, some proactive safety measures are happening in one Metro Detroit area. Troy School District announced it has hired a Director of Safety and Security.
Todd Gilevich is with Secure Education Consultants and is now a contract employee with Troy School District. His sole responsibility is managing safety and security across the entire school district and its 21 buildings.
Gilevich explained a safety and security audit was completed across the school district. He’s using that information to determine where changes and improvements can be made.
“In the event of an emergency and we do have to lockdown, teachers can close their doors, and they’ll be already set to lock,” said Gilevich during a brief tour of a Metro Detroit high school.
Campuses in the Troy School District have a variety of security measures in place. Visitors must be screened, surveillance cameras are throughout school buildings, and there are night locks on classroom doors, among other things.
“One of the biggest things we saw after COVID that actually benefitted security is that we try to limit the amount of people that come into our building,” Gilevich said.
Dollars from the State of Michigan are allowing Troy School District to fund the new administrative position. It’s a critical role, some school leaders say, given recent school-related tragedies that gained national attention, like the shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and closer to home at Oxford High School in Oakland County.
“So hard to even put into words just how devastating it was to have an incident occur in a school district just up the road from us,” said Dr. Richard Machesky, Superintendent of Troy School District.
Administrators in the Troy School District believe adding the new Director of Safety and Security is an extra layer of accountability.
Machesky also believes there is more to keep Troy’s students and staff safe and secure.
“It’s about relationships,” Machesky said. “First and foremost, it’s about building relationships with our students and our staff. Making sure every student knows that this is a safe place for them. And if there is a problem or concern, they have someone that they can come to and they can talk to.”