Mustang Public Schools Hires 1st Director Of Safety, Security

Mustang Public Schools just hired Jennifer Newell as the district's first Director of Safety and Security.

Newell spent more than two decades as a police officer in Norman. And most recently, she was program manager for the Oklahoma School Safety Institute, which was created in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting.

At the Institute, she worked with school districts all over Oklahoma on risk and vulnerability assessments.

“One of the first things that we look at is the ability to control access, knowing who is coming into the building, looking at classroom doors,” Newell explained.

As she studies kinds of threats and hazards at Mustang's 15 school sites, she'll also oversee the school resource officers and determine if more help is needed. Currently, there are five school resource officers.

And beyond those duties, she'll meet with architects and administrators to give recommendations.

“That was the purpose of the position to be created was bring those professionals on board alongside the educators, so that as we are creating new buildings and we are renovating our existing buildings they’re at the table and they’re telling us what works and what doesn’t work so that we can avoid those circumstances,” said Interim Superintendent Charles Bradley.