LCPS identifies security weaknesses in the wake of Florida school shooting

Following another mass shooting in a Florida high school, the Las Cruces Public Schools district identified security weaknesses and strategies to combat violence in schools.

“The first thing that ran through my mind is the importance of having and making sure all of our kids and all of our staff are prepared for an event such as this,” said Dana Critchlow, the assistant principal for Las Cruces High School.

“It’s just tragic,” said Todd Gregory, the district’s director public safety. “It’s another reminder of how diligent we have to be.”

LCPS will add security doors in eight different elementary schools, thanks to voters’ approval of the 2018 bond election.

“A lot of the schools that were designed over the years have hallways that are accessible,” Gregory said. “When you come in, you can go left or right, and you’re in a hallway that’s directly to classrooms.”

Critchlow also spoke to the importance of encouraging students to report suspicious actions on campus.

“I think that being prepared as an administrator at the high school, we need to make sure that everyone would know what to do if a situation like that were to arise,” Critchlow said.

The Las Cruces Police Department offers schools and organizations training on what they call “ALICE,” which stands for alert, lockdown, inform, counter and evacuate.

To schedule training, call 575-541-2766.