Woburn Plans School Safety Review As School Year Nears

WOBURN, MA — Woburn is moving forward a review of school safety policies and procedures this week, working with an outside consultant to eventually develop a report and recommended improvements.

Recently discussed at a Woburn School Committee meeting last week, the school safety review comes after what Mayor Scott Galvin described as “concerning” and “tragic” events across the country.

“We just want to make sure that we're doing the best we can to ensure that our students, that our teachers (and) our administrators are safe in their work and in their learning environment,” Galvin told Patch on Wednesday.

Incidents like the mass shooting in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas earlier this year have, indeed, either prompted or provided urgency to various conversations about school safety following still other high-profile acts of violence in schools in the U.S.

In Woburn, the mayor’s office is working with the Woburn Police Department and the Woburn Public Schools on this review, which will likely continue into the start of the new school year. There will be initial feedback, Galvin said, before a more formal report on possible ways to shore up security in local schools.

Changes could involve policy changes just as they could involve new hardware to physically secure schools, according to Galvin.

The review comes after initial “spot checks” by Woburn Police of Woburn schools earlier this year, Galvin said. That survey already identified some weaknesses and topics to address. The upcoming consultant review will now add further insight and and an implementation plan, Galvin continued.

“The bottom line is that you always should be looking at your facilities and making sure that they're safe,” Galvin said.

The city has inked a $60,000 contract to pay for this review. While Galvin did not share a specific timeline, he said initial analysis will come from the city's consultant “relatively quickly” before the more lengthy implementation plan. The contract is being funded using a city appropriation, Galvin said.

Galvin said the city will publicly share a summary of findings, though there will be some sensitive information that is withheld following this process.