Iberia Parish schools, law enforcement work on plan to improve school safety

New Iberia officials and school board members are taking action. They're making sure that the top priority of this school year is maintaining safety in the schools.

NEW IBERIA, La. (KLFY) -- New Iberia officials and school board members are taking action. They're making sure that the top priority of this school year is maintaining safety in the schools.

On Monday afternoon, the mayor of New Iberia, school administrators, and law enforcement officials gathered to discuss protocols regarding school safety. The meeting focused on training and educating school and law enforcement officials on mass casualties like active shooter or hostage situations on campuses.

Jennifer Joseph, Assistant Superintendent of Administration, said the meeting was very informative.

"We had key people from the department as well as people from the sheriff's department," Joseph said. "We had some great discussions on what to expect with police presence on our campuses if there is ever going to be a tragedy like they had in Texas."

New Iberia Police Chief Todd D'Albor, who was present at the meeting, mentioned how important it is to have open discussions like this for the betterment of the community.

"What we always try to do is stay ahead of the current trends of what's happening throughout our country," D'Albor explained. "We want to make sure that our protocols are up to the standards and are able to evolve with times."

The chief also told News 10 about a practice run in the coming future.

"The superintendent, the schools, and I, [along with] the mayor, have discussed doing an actual mock drill at a location… And that is going to be coming," D'Albor said.

The safety of the school children is the number one priority for the school board, and meetings like this are one more step in the right direction, they said.