On Wednesday, January 18 and Friday, January 20, Hale`iwa Elementary had a Vulnerability Assessment conducted by the DOE Director of Safety, Security and Emergency Preparedness Branch, Mr. Max Mendoza. A Vulnerability Assessment is defined as “an industry-wide and multi-functional process that detects and evaluates weaknesses and vulnerabilities of an organization’s internal and external foundations; and provides recommended solutions to mitigate weaknesses and vulnerabilities”.
The assessment reviewed the school’s Cybersecurity infrastructure and the overall vulnerabilities of our campus and operations. The results for both parts were quite positive. We wanted to share some of the positive practices that were recognized by Mr. Mendoza and some of the recommendations that were left for the school. Please note that what is being shared are the most pertinent practices and recommendations from the assessment. This is not the entire list from the report. Overall, the results were quite positive.
Some of the positive practices that were commended by the Vulnerability Assessment are:
Overall security procedures in the main office are effective
Phone, intercom, and public address systems capabilities exist between main administration office and classrooms
The school has an established Emergency Action Plan
Custodians conduct morning sweeps of campus
Classroom window visibility was not impeded
Access to the campus is restricted to only contracted workers who provide services to the school.
Parents are requested to check in at the front office and not go beyond the flag pole unless authorized by the office.
There is a significant presence of adults providing active supervision of students before, during and after school.
There were also recommendations for improvement from Mr. Mendoza. The school has already begun to implement some of the recommendations that could be done immediately. There are recommendations that will take more time to work on, but we have begun that work already.
Here are some of the recommendations that have been immediately implemented:
Keep all classroom doors in the locked position throughout the entire day.
Ensure that all staff members are wearing the ID badges at all times.
Staff members should wear safety vests whenever they are providing supervision so that the noticeable presence of adults acts as a deterrent to possible intruders.
The school has 2 AEDs located in the cafeteria and in the health room. It is recommended that another AED is purchased and installed towards the back of campus. Hale`iwa has submitted our order for another AED to be placed in G building.
Here are some recommendations that are very important that the school is currently working on:
The school has 2 AEDs located in the cafeteria and in the health room. It is recommended that another AED is purchased and installed towards the back of campus.
Hale`iwa has submitted our order for another AED to be placed in G building.
Consider installing combination push locks for the unlocked library doors and side office door. Hale`iwa has requested quotes for these locks.
Consider installing speed bumps in the parking lots.
Consider installing surveillance cameras around campus in high traffic or high risk areas
We want all of our families to be reassured that we take the safety and security of everyone on our campus very seriously. As we continue to work on the recommendations from the Vulnerability Assessment, we will update everyone with our progress.
