Sartor hasn’t prioritized Dysart students’ safety

Cali Overs

Submitted photo/Cali Overs

OPINION — Thank you to the Independent for covering the May Dysart Governing Board meeting, where I and other Surprise residents called for Mayor Kevin Sartor to be removed as the district’s safety coordinator.

I'd like to respond to the district’s claim that it met all legal requirements. According to Arizona guidelines, it didn’t.

The state requires three lockdown drills: one before fall break, one before winter break and one before spring break. School started July 31. We didn’t have a shelter-in-place drill until March 13. We didn’t have a lockdown drill until April 27. School ended May 21. That means the entire freshman class went more than seven months without knowing what to do in an emergency until a month before school let out.

Coincidentally, the lockdown drill happened two days after I emailed the entire City Council, on April 25, about the lack of drills.

Meeting the bare minimum at the very end of the school year isn't prioritizing student safety. Demanding accountability isn’t a personal attack.

In fact, the mayor has always been very respectful to me. But, if he waits until the end of the school year to do safety drills, then he isn’t taking the safety of students seriously.

I met with Mayor Sartor on April 15 and asked if there was a safety plan for students once the ICE detention center opens. He said no.

Project Saltbox reported the fire department confirmed it’s never received emergency plans for the chemical warehouse or the ICE facility. Both buildings sit next door to each other less than a mile away from nearby schools, and share the same road students take to school.

The safety coordinator has had months to come up with a student safety plan for both buildings. He’s done neither.

For that, I believe he should be removed.

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