The Wenatchee School District on Oct. 28 told the board it has implemented major pieces of school-safety infrastructure required or encouraged by Alyssas Law and continues technical work to connect systems across vendors and partners.

Tom Cui, the districts director of safety and security, outlined multi-year investments in radios, cameras, access control and public-address systems. He said the district invested about $100,000 in radio upgrades that remain in service and undertook a roughly $2.2 million upgrade in 2019 that added a secured lobby, fencing, additional cameras and audio systems at the high school.

"When we push one of these buttons, first of all, it plays that SRP message for a lockdown: Lockdown, locks, lights, out of sight,'" Cui told the board, referring to the districts use of the Standard Response Protocol. He said the district operates more than 150 access-control doors and that most doors are kept locked during the school day.

RiverCom integration: The district said it successfully established live, one-way camera feeds and limited remote access with RiverCom in 2023 after overcoming secure-system technical hurdles. RiverCom staff can see camera feeds and access control maps and may, at request, unlock doors for first responders to speed entry.

Audio and privacy: Cui said the district does not collect audio from cameras and that any room-level two-way PA calls are designed so staff can respond without adjusting equipment. He said RiverCom does not currently have audio access, though the district is working through remaining technical issues to allow controlled intercom access.

Challenges at large campuses: Cui warned that older, larger buildings such as Wenatchee High School present architectural and systems challenges: separate alarm partitions, multiple access-control platforms and many exterior doors and portables complicate full integration. He said the district is consolidating access-control systems and planning additional improvements, but noted repair and licensing costs for legacy fire and alarm systems.

Why it matters: The briefing ties district investments to state-level safety standards under Alyssas Law and explains operational procedures for lock-down communications, first-responder coordination and access control. Board members cited community concerns about fencing and campus appearance but generally supported continuing upgrades.

Bottom line: Wenatchee said it meets many Alyssas Law-type standards now and is finishing technical integration with RiverCom and other partners; remaining work focuses on compatibility across systems, legacy-equipment costs and portables/exterior-door management.