Overseeing school safety and maintenance is a “big responsibility” and “very high priority” for Paul Thiel, who said he has seen significant upgrades to the safety and appearance of the Oglethorpe County School System the past two years.
Thiel, the operations director, and other staff made plans for the 2025-2026 school year and reviewed progress for the current strategic plan Tuesday at OCMS with a review of its strengths and weaknesses and updates to district and school improvement plans.
Improvements such as planned intruder drills and the hiring of two school resource officers in January have led to ideas to increase security and facility maintenance.
Based on previous action steps from the five-year plan, he said the school system is developing a safety plan and a quick guide to highlight building and security procedures.
Marianne Camacho, a kindergarten teacher, said she and other teachers have known when the school system implements intruder drills, and it would be beneficial to practice for an intruder without any warning.
“(It should) totally catch you off guard,” she said. “Which is how it’s going to be if, God forbid, it ever does happen. We’ve never done it when kids weren’t in a confined space.”
Thiel said he also plans to help the SROs become “more visible, walking around (and) participating” within the school system.
“A future plan could maybe be to have an SRO at all schools,” Camacho said. “That probably will happen one day, so I think that’s a good goal.”
Thiel’s focus is on the fiscal and operational responsibilities of each school campus because it allows him to have the “greatest impact on the largest number of people.”
“I’ve seen a lot of strides forward,” Camacho said. “I, as a parent or teacher, haven’t been concerned. I think we’ve made a lot of positive moves.”