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Parents Pack Hazelwood School Board Meeting With Positive Comments; New Safety Director Hired
BY CAROL ARNETT
A standing room only crowd came to the Hazelwood School Board meeting last week. However, unlike recent meetings, where many of the parents present had concerns or complaints, most of the speakers at the meeting had positive things to say about the district and their individual schools.
Superintendent Chris Wright gave a safety and security update. She said that the district had hired Lt. Colonel Charles McCrary Sr., to work with the district on safety issues.
Wright said the district would consult with McCrary to assess the district’s security issues. He will also serve as an advisor for the district’s security department.
“Colonel McCrary brings a 40 year career of law enforcement and school safety experience to the Hazelwood School District,” Wright said in a notice announcing the appointment. “As a resident and a parent of two Hazelwood Central graduates, he is very familiar with and supportive of the Hazelwood School District community. We believe his expertise and his commitment will support our efforts to provide a safe and secure school.”
McCrary served as assistant chief of police for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department until retiring in 1997. He then served for nine years as the urban chief of security for the St. Louis Public Schools.
McCrary is the author of Urban School Security from Behind the Scenes. In the book, he describes his role in working with public schools. McCrary is a graduate of St. Louis University and the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA.
In addition to McCrary, Wright said the district had hired new security officers at the three district high schools. Two district employees presented information from safety meetings held with parents, faculty, and administration at the two high schools. These safe school task forces made recommendations for the new security and also for a new email newsletter at Hazelwood West that he principal can use to notify parents of any situations at the school. The West task force also recommended that the switchboard remain open from 7:a.m. until 5 p.m.
Several parents spoke at the meeting. Most thanked the board for taking safety issues seriously and for taking action to keep the schools safe. Within the past month there have been a couple of bomb threats in which one student was arrested In these incidents, the school district working with the local law enforcement agencies was able to evacuate the schools quickly and safely.
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