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KCS, KPD say they're satisfied with school security protocols, but will make 'tweaks'

"They're safe, and we'll work every day to be sure that we make them as safe as we can," Knox County Schools Security Chief Gus Paidousis said.

After a meeting with Knox County Schools security officials Thursday, the Knoxville Police Department says they are confident their policies and procedures related to school security are adequate to protect students in the face of threats.

The meeting came after KPD officers questioned how the school district handled a recent threat at Holston Middle School.

MORE: KCS Superintendent admits protocol not followed after Holston Middle School threat

Last week, KPD was unable to contact school security administrators about a shooting threat. Internal emails claimed the system was flawed, and a dispatcher said a texting alert system was down.

As a result, Wednesday's meeting focused on the ways the district can increase communication with law enforcement and better protect students.

"We know that following the threat at Holston there were some issues internally at the schools and at KPD – things that we’ve discussed and worked out and worked through," KPD Deputy Chief Gary Holliday said. "The policy that we have in place that we’ve been using, is sound, we just reviewed it with the folks present in the meeting. We feel confident that we’re doing the things we need to do to address these threats."

Holliday said he doesn't believe communication is a regular issue between the school district and police department as it was in this incident.

"There’s a couple of tweaks we’re going to do, and we’re still talking about those. Some of those are as a group, and some of those are within the respective agencies," he said.

KCS Security Chief Gus Paidousis said the school district is planning to hold training for teachers and principals on security policy "as quickly as we can."

"We’re going to revisit our safety plan in two areas. We’re going to be sure it says what it is we need it to say, and then ... we’re going to be sure that all of our school staff, most notably the principals are aware of its contents," he said.

The second step, Paidousis said, is determining if there is training they can give to teachers system-wide.

"We think that the next logical step is to look at how we can help our 4,000 or so teachers be as comfortable as they can be in their classrooms, and be sure that they’re safe and be sure that they feel safe so that they can take care of our children," he said.

Holliday and Paidousis both said Wednesday's meeting, which also included members of the Knox County Sheriff's Office and the Knox County District Attorney General's Office, was productive.

"One of the great byproducts of the meeting this morning is you discuss gaps and you discuss notifications and procedures and you try to figure out if there are areas where you could have breakdowns, and so it’s an ongoing battle to do things exactly the way you want it done. Our safety plan and all our protocols are living documents that get visited just about every single day," Paidousis said.

The two officials said there are a variety of factors that go into the decision of when to inform parents about a threat at a school.

"Generally, we do try to push information out, but we have to be sure the information is not only timely, but more importantly, that it’s accurate," Paidousis said.

Holliday said school officials should notify law enforcement of threats "as soon as possible" so they can start investigating, but when it comes to notifying parents, it should be "as soon as prudent."

"There’s kind of a fine line, I think, of when you notify the parents. You don’t want to let them know late in the game, you want to get the information out, but you don’t want to do anything to endanger an investigation or exacerbate a situation," he said.

He referenced several recent school threats that have turned out to be unfounded, saying police "don't want to cause a panic, but we want to be sure we get the information out there in a timely manner as possible."

Paidousis said there is no way officials can ever guarantee students are free from all threats, but emphasized that, overall, schools are safe.

"There are no guarantees. Nobody can stand up in any school district in this country and guarantee that your child is going to be safe at school. What I can promise you, and what I can guarantee is that every day, thousands of people wake up in this community whose sole purpose it is to care for children," he said. "They’re safe, and we’ll work every day to be sure that we make them as safe as we can."

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