Guilford County Commissioner Alan Perdue isn’t just a commissioner.
He’s also the guy who, for years, as the director of Guilford County Emergency Services, was charged with doing everything he could to keep the people in the county safe. He knows a thing or two or three about security, and, when Perdue got his chance on Thursday, June 3, to ask questions of Guilford County Schools Superintendent Sharon Contreras and other top school staff, he focused on current problems with school security cameras – something that’s obviously been a concern for many commissioners.
Perdue expressed his unease about multiple reports he’d heard of widespread issues with the school system’s security cameras.
Perdue said Southern Guilford High School was in his district and he added that there had been several incidences of concern there he knew about – including a recent highly publicized on-campus group attack on a 14-year-old girl.
Perdue said that security cameras in schools were extremely important and he added that there had been a strong call to get a well-working camera system into the schools. He also said there had been a good amount of funding by the commissioners for that purpose.
“The lack of cameras has hampered some investigations and safety issues for locating students or identifying those that are involved in an incident,” he said.
Perdue also said he knew of an incident where an exceptional child went missing and the camera system at that school was down. He said that made it difficult to know where to look. Perdue also said staff tried to check the camera footage and several hours went by before the SRO was involved.
“That’s a very serious concern for me because timing is critical in an emergency like that,” he said.
Perdue also said that people were out trampling through the woods in an attempt to find the student, and that, he added, essentially eliminated the option of using K-9’s to help find the child.
Perdue noted that the county commissioners gave the school system $10 million to use for things like upgrading security cameras.
In 2018, after the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, Guilford County Commissioner Justin Conrad made a successful motion to provide Guilford County Schools with $10 million for security.
Perdue asked about the 2018 money at the work session.
“I’m curious, of the $10 million we advocated for safety and security sometime back, what was done to help improve camera systems and what is being done as it relates to that, both with those dollars and any current dollars that might be coming?”
Contreras said that, regarding the recent attack at Southern Guilford, school officials were able to use the cameras to go back and investigate. But she acknowledged there were deficiencies when it came to the school system’s security cameras.
“The cameras are an ongoing issue in the schools and we simply have not had enough money to address the camera issues when we don’t have enough money to address basic heating issues and cooling issues and roof issues.”
She said this is an important need. However, the school system simply doesn’t have the means to take care of every pressing need, she said.
Contreras said one school system she was familiar with had recently passed a $22.5 million bond “just for the doors in one building.”
I’m from around here. We went to school with no air conditioning but then again we all died and learned nothing.
Contreras is an SJW pawn that only knows one line “mo money.” She’s gotta go!
Maybe Ms. Contreras would be more comfortable with another school system that would spend 22.5 million on doors for one school. I really doubt that is going to happen here.
The school system was given the 10 million for safety and security not to repair roofs and HVAC Being from the maintenance industry I understandthe importance of both roofing and HVAC but the money was allocated for safety. With all the violence in schools today all of it should have been used for the safety of the students and staff. As Ricky used to say to Lucy someone has some “splaining” to do. It’s time for our commissioners to start asking some serious questions and they should start at the top.
I totally agree.
Contreras won’t even answer the question. She was asked point blank what happened to the money that was specifically earmarked for cameras. That money has not been spent. Instead, she deflects with unrelated problems.
How much longer with Guilford put up with this garbage?
Are some of the students going to the schools from the “Cure the Violence” areas? Why isn’t some of that money used for the safety of the students? Lots of unanswered questions need to be addressed. A progress report needs to be given at each meeting about the quality of education for the students and their security when away from home and at school. The students are important. And there is money allocated each years for the schools maintenance. Where and how is “THAT” money spend. If “THAT” money was spend correctly the schools would be in good shade always because that is what “THAT” money is to be used for.
Does the school system not have an accounting system that is capable of determining where the $10 million allocated for cameras was spent? If not, why do we continue to give this group any money at all? There is absolutely no accountability. All we ever hear is “we have to have more money”! Baloney! This administration needs to be culled from the top down. Get rid of these incompetents and find people that understand who they work for. Contreras has to go NOW!
For-f^(%^*g-ever.
Please make me King of Guilford County.
For the umpty-umpth time, just put security points and metal detectors at all entrances/exits. Armed Guards present 24/7. Our Polys get this downtown or in Raleigh or Washington.
All a camera does is perhaps tell you whodunit. Not that it would really punish anyone.
How on earth do these people get into these positions of responsibility?
Pitiful
The commissioners should be asking for an accounting of the money how much has been spent and where it was spent. Funny thing I’ve not seen any RFPs in the paper about roof or HVAC projects at any schools in the past couple years just makes one wonder
The school board gave all the power to Supt. Contreras when Covid started and has not gotten it back. She alone makes the decisions, not the board whom the public elected to represent them. So basically, the public (parents) have no input or say in what happens within GCS.
She’s gotta go. Control freak who doesn’t want to answer to anybody.
This is not going to get any better until more people step up and take action. Our elected officials must hear from their constituents when they are dissatisfied. In a recent county commissioners meeting Dr Contreras stated that she is not responsible for the safety of our children while in school. Seriously? To think there are board members who think SROs should be removed from our schools should be a huge concern to (at least) every GCS parent!! After the recent SGHS breach where a student was beat up by fellow students, and some from other schools an18 year old and a mother should be the last wake up call needed! Security in our schools MUST be the number one concern and taken care of before school begins in the Fall. No more delays or excuses, as all students should feel safe on school property, and parents should be at ease when sending their children off each day for an education. By the way, $600,000 was spent on a study showing what type of security changes GCS needed. Why are we still waiting for the work to be done?
This Thursday there is a vote to take place, which could change some policies. The most concerning policy change request is for DC Budgeting and Fiscal Management to be changed so our GCS board of education loses power overseeing financials giving the superintendent the ability to make those decisions on her own. It removes work orders and allows Dr Contreras to choose the contractors and award contracts for services and the purchase of equipment, materials and supplies in the amount she chooses, as long as it is within the remaining funds in the allocated budget for the current fiscal year.
There will be dissatisfied parents outside the BOE office Thursday, so feel free to join us and email the BOE and County Commissioners how you feel about this information. Additionally, you can copy and paste your concerns to the NC school board at http://simplify.ebaordsolutions.com/AboutUs/AboutUs.asps?S=10399&TID=1
NC House Committee K-12 http://www.no leg.gov/Committees/CommitteeInfo/HouseStanding/166
NC Senate Committee Ed/higher. https:/www.ncleg.gov/Committees/CommitteeInfo/SenateStanding/134
Why will we be outside? Because the BOE meetings are still closed to the public. It is time for our voices to be heard!
What a ” Snow Job” as usual!
And $60.000.00 down the drain for a security study wasted and NO report given of their recommendations. That money is the TAX PAYERS money. The City Council doesn’t have the ability to handle money and they don’t care how they waste “OUR” money!!!
Surely there must be someone that can get the information of where the $10 million that Mr Purdue referred had been spent on. Can a reporter with the Rino find out? Or could someone tell me how to get this information?
Security and safety should be more important than spending money on teacher training programs to teach our children critical race theory. Our school superintendent should account for all money spent.
This is not going to get any better until more people step up and take action. Our elected officials must hear from their constituents when they are dissatisfied. In a recent county commissioners meeting Dr Contreras stated that she is not responsible for the safety of our children while in school. Seriously? To think there are board members who think SROs should be removed from our schools should be a huge concern to (at least) every GCS parent!! After the recent SGHS breach where a student was beat up by fellow students, and some from other schools an18 year old and a mother should be the last wake up call needed! Security in our schools MUST be the number one concern and taken care of before school begins in the Fall. No more delays or excuses, as all students should feel safe on school property, and parents should be at ease when sending their children off each day for an education. By the way, $600,000 was spent on a study showing what type of security changes GCS needed. Why are we still waiting for the work to be done?
This Thursday there is a vote to take place, which could change some policies. The most concerning policy change request is for DC Budgeting and Fiscal Management to be changed so our GCS board of education loses power overseeing financials giving the superintendent the ability to make those decisions on her own. It removes work orders and allows Dr Contreras to choose the contractors and award contracts for services and the purchase of equipment, materials and supplies in the amount she chooses, as long as it is within the remaining funds in the allocated budget for the current fiscal year.
There will be dissatisfied parents outside the BOE office Thursday, so feel free to join us and email the BOE and County Commissioners how you feel about this information. Additionally, you can copy and paste your concerns to the NC school board. Why will we be outside? BOE meetings are still closed to the public. It is time for our voices to be heard!
I wonder why The Supt.would tell some cockamamie story about $22.5 million for a doors at another school.is angling for another job?Why not send a W.O.to maintenance and get an electrician to start installing Cameras .Maybe she does not know she could do that in Greensboro .
I know this is hard for many to imagine but it’s exactly why we chose to completely change our lifestyle & give up over 70% of our income to homeschool in the beginning. Don’t believe the voice in your head that says you can’t do it, you can! No, it wasn’t easy, but it was right. I know what they’re taught, and that they’re safe. There are countless groups and co-ops you can join and share with. If done properly, you can flip the bird to anyone who dares mention the word socialization because your kids probably socialize much more than theirs.
Show GCS how much you love & value your kids by taking them out altogether and showing them you don’t need GCS, they need you. Trust me, life is simpler & much less stressful without them.