School Security

School Security: Keeping Our Students Safe

When Matt Montgomery was hired by Holy Family High School in 2017, school administrators were confident his law enforcement background would greatly benefit the Holy Family community. They were spot on. “When it comes to school security, you can never be too safe,” said Holy Family Principal Matt Hauptly. “Investing in a highly-skilled, experienced individual to oversee our security was essential in making sure we are prepared to prevent and respond to violent and emergency situations.”

Montgomery, a former Marine, began his career in law enforcement as an officer for the Broomfield Police Department and earned the department’s Officer of the Year distinction in 2015. He also served as the School Resource Officer (SRO) for 11 local school including Holy Family. While many schools assign an administrator or teacher to be in charge of the overall school security, having a person with the proper qualifications, skills, experience, and temperament in this role is vital. “Matt is well suited to deal with the realities and rigors of security work and he is accustomed to acting under conditions of great stress,” said Hauptly. “Being prepared for any type of crisis is essential to the safety of our teachers and students.”

Montgomery is a frequent presenter, trainer, and consultant on school security, with a particular focus on strengthening emergency preparedness. “There is a lot we can do to mitigate the chance of someone being hurt at school,” he said. “Good policies and procedures, along with good training, are key.” Driven by a desire to have students feel that a school is a safe place, Montgomery has served as the Interim Director of Security for the Archdiocese of Denver and also consults with area schools to develop safety plans that meet a school’s particular needs. For a high school security program to be successful, it must be all-encompassing. Not only must it address traditional issues associated with law enforcement and security, but it must also address emergency management, training, technology, community partnerships, funding, and more. “When people think about school security, they naturally think about school shootings, but school security is much more than that,” Montgomery said. “It involves everything from events prior to an incident all the way through recovery post-incident.” Under Montgomery’s leadership, Holy Family has been praised for developingtraining requirements for staff, working with local agencies on preparedness, and upgrading the security technology the school uses. “Responsibility for school safety and security is not limited to me,” Montgomery notes. “Everyone in our community plays a role.”

School Security: Keeping Our Students Safe

Using his knowledge and law enforcement experience, Montgomery has provided situational awareness and emergency event training for both Holy Family students and staff. Each year during student orientation, they attend a presentation by Montgomery on school safety procedures. “I don’t want them to feel like they should be scared,” he says. “But our teachers, staff, and students need to be aware of what they need to do in emergency situations.” In addition to writing and reviewing policy and protocols, Montgomery leads exercises and drills that have been conducted regularly since his arrival. “Training and drills are the best way to deal with emergency situations at schools,” he says. “I have a debrief with law enforcement and school administration after each one, communication is the foundation for everything.” Holy Family periodically holds lockdown drills to simulate a situation where an unauthorized person has entered the school or there is a weapon on campus. When students hear one of these drills announced they spring into action. It is critical for school security departments to develop healthy partnerships with external stakeholders, such as local police, EMS, and fire departments. Montgomery understood this and leveraged the relationships he developed when he was an officer with the Broomfield Police Department to open the lines of communication. Now several agencies use the Holy Family campus for training exercises. As active-shooter incidents are becoming more frequent on school campuses, this past summer Broomfield Police

officers, SWAT, EMS, and fire departments went through a full day of active-shooter training at Holy Family. “It is good to have these first responders get a feel for our building,” said Montgomery. “We know that if an event is reported, first responders will be at our building within 90 seconds.” Taking advantage of new technologies is another way to maintain a strong security posture. In recent years, Holy Family has increased the number of surveillance cameras from 8 to 64, upgraded the emergency alert system and enhanced door security. Digital panic buttons were also installed in key locations to notify police of dangerous situations. In addition, increased perimeter lighting throughout the campus has improved security without compromising the campuses’ aesthetics. Montgomery, who also teaches forensics at Holy Family, has responded to a wide variety of incidents in his law enforcement career and is proud of the many cases in which he de-escalated situations so that violence was averted. He is trained to handle a variety of issues including abuse, bullying, cyberbullying, drug and alcohol use, school attacks, depression, and threats. He also oversees faculty and staff training for signs of abuse and mandatory reporting. This past fall Montgomery even held a situational awareness class for Holy Family’s Survivors Club which is comprised of students who have gone through traumatic situations. “Matt’s dedication to keeping our students and staff prepared for emergency events shows his genuine care and concern for the students and staff of Holy Family,” said Hauptly. “His first instinct is to protect.” While Montgomery’s focus on keeping students and staff safe is effective, no school is immune to emergency events. Unfortunately, the possibility of a school shooting or violence is a reality that everyone needs to deal with. However, Montgomery’s effort shave undoubtedly prepared Holy Family to better respond to threats and adjust to the ever-changing school safety environment. “Our parents have trust in us and send their children to us each and every day,” Montgomery added. “I will do everything in my power to make sure everyone is safe in this building, especially the kids, they shouldn’t have to worry about being hurt at school.”