Weston committee: portable alert fob rollout on track, full deployment expected by May

The Weston School District Safety and Security Committee was told April 8 that the district's portable alert fob program is on track and should be fully deployed within weeks.

The update came as Jim (Director of Safety and Security) told the committee that “the remainder of the fobs have come in,” that information technology staff are programming devices and assigning them to staff, and that he expects the rollout to be completed by May. He said the district plans a broader alert-system test on May 18, a day when school is not in session, involving the police department.

The committee heard operational details for deployment: roughly “200 and something” fobs still require programming and assignment, and staff will perform on-site distribution at each school so devices are assigned directly to employees. The district has planned for extra fobs to be kept with each school’s security staff so substitutes and other short-term staff can be issued a device when needed. Committee members said security guards will manage morning check-out of the devices similarly to how substitutes receive keys or Chromebooks today.

Committee members also reviewed related policy work: the district has created rules on who receives fobs, how to handle forgotten or lost fobs, procedures for disengaging access for staff who leave employment, and inventorying spare devices at each site. One committee member noted that if money remains in the current budget, staff should consider replacing outdated staff equipment used for meetings and testing (for example, a laptop or microphone used to run tests).

No formal vote or budget decision was taken April 8; staff described the rollout schedule and asked the committee to remain informed. The committee scheduled routine updates and expects to review test results after the May drill.