Whitefield Elementary School principal Joshua McNaughton, Wiscasset Primary School principal Linda Bleile and many others throughout Regional School Unit 12 have been beefing up security at the schools. 

“We have spent an enormous amount of time looking at all the buildings,” interim superintendent Alan Hawkins said during a January 10 meeting with the school district's board of directors.

One parent from Palermo addressed the board with her concern that not enough was being done quickly enough and the school administration needs to take action addressing security at the schools. Bleile said she has been inundated with concerns from parents about this issue since the school shooting incident in Connecticut last month.

But McNaughton has been working on a district-wide security and emergency preparedness program since before November. During a November 8 board meeting, he updated board members about his collaboration with Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency to reach this goal.

For some time now, schools have had a lock-down system for different levels of emergencies. According to Bleile, teachers, staff and students know the drill for each scenario. The school district's administration and school staff are considering other options to beef up security, such as purchasing video cameras for certain doors at the schools.

“We know pretty much what needs to be done,” Bleile said.

Board members and administrative staff are hesitant to speak explicitly about what plans they have, so as not to jeopardize security. They agreed to discuss such matters in the future during executive sessions.

Westport Island board member Richard DeVries had initially recommended the board spend $50,000 to fund security projects in the school district, but after some discussion he changed his mind and the board voted the proposal down. Currently, there is a spending freeze in the school district budget and the administration anticipates state funding cuts. 

“I don't want to react emotionally,” Whitefield board member Joan Morin said. “We are doing everything to make sure our kids are safe. Let's do it right, but let's do it quick.”

DeVries urged everyone at the meeting to contact their representatives and ask them for funding to help with this issue. McNaughton said he is looking into grant opportunities through the Federal Emergency Management Agency and has been collaborating with EMA directors from Lincoln and nearby counties.

“I applaud all the plans already in place,” former Alna board member Ralph Hilton said from the audience. He added, “We don't want to jump into a willy-nilly thing on security. We need time for this process to work through.”