The Boston Police commissioner who led the city department at the time of the 2013 Marathon bombings is conducting a safety and security audit at Brockton High School, embroiled by student violence.
Ed Davis and his consulting and crisis management firm – the Edward Davis Company – are examining ways to improve student behavior and performance at Massachusetts’ largest high school, according to officials.
Officials from the firm and the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education visited the school March 12 to conduct a day-long study with another scheduled in the coming weeks, Acting Superintendent James Cobbs said Tuesday. The final report must be completed by June 30, he said.
Gov. Maura Healey issued the state-funded audit after declining a request last month for the National Guard to be deployed to Brockton High School to address what four School Committee members described as a “disturbing increase in incidents related to violence, security concerns, and substance abuse.”
The heightened focus on creating a safe, secure learning environment is starting to lead to improvements, officials highlighted during Tuesday’s School Committee meeting.
“Reducing the violence is something that we are committed to, and it is beginning to happen. We still have a ways to go,” Principal Kevin McCaskill said. “We are working hard. We are seeing an increase in teacher attendance, but most importantly we are seeing the support that we need.”
The school’s police officers led its 12 security and safety specialists through a training last week, McCaskill said. Assistant principals have placed the specialists in specific locations across the sprawling building that houses more than 3,600 students to limit disruptions.
A key area has been around restrooms, McCaskill said.
Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez previously highlighted how the specialists “lacked adequate resources and training to keep the building secure,” the Brockton Enterprise reported.
“Due to shortages in staffing, we really did have some difficulties especially for our female students,” McCaskill said. “But the redeployment of folks, we’ve opened up the vast majority of restrooms which has slowed the traffic flow of most students in the building.”
Among planned safety reforms are the doubling of safety and security personnel from 12 employees to 24 next year, the hiring of a security director for the entire district and a staffer who’d solely focus on monitoring all cameras in the facility.
Officials are also working to change 1,400 locks on classroom doors, Cobbs said.
“Fights are still happening, but it seems to be trending downward,” school police officer Jason Mosely said. “We are handling the investigation of each incident and are determining whether charges should be taken out.”
The School Committee voted earlier this month to ban students from using cellphones during the school days as an additional step.
This is all coming as the district is grappling with a budget deficit that could grow as large as $25 million.
“What’s going on at the high school is not just Brockton High,” board member Joyce Asack said. “I don’t like how the news is putting it out there. We have students going to some top-notch schools. Our students are amazing whether it’s athletics, music, drama, arts. We just have to focus on the positive.”
