Eagle County School District hires director of safety and security
District selects Tad Degen, a former Eagle County school resource officer and law enforcement officer
In the fall of 2023, the Eagle County School District contracted a third party to conduct a Safety, Security and Emergency Preparedness assessment to review policies, procedures, facilities and overall safety of all campuses that comprise the school district.
The final report provided a comprehensive review of all aspects of the district’s safety and security posture. The primary recommendation from the audit was to hire a full-time director of safety and security, whose sole purpose would be to work with local law enforcement agencies, school leaders and district administrators to maintain a safe and stable environment for students.
The district received applications from numerous law enforcement officials and security experts. Panel interviews were conducted earlier in February with district staff, school leaders, local law enforcement agencies and a representative from the teachers’ association participating.
Following this process, the district hired Tad Degen for the role. Degen is a former school resource officer and retired law enforcement officer in Eagle County.
Degen grew up in South Dakota where he then went to the University of South Dakota to receive a degree in psychology. He began working in Eagle County for the sheriff’s department in 2001 while also serving with the Army National Guard. He then moved to the Army National Guard full-time until returning to the Sheriff’s Office to work as the student resource officer at Eagle Valley High School.
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“Tad has been here and knows the ins and outs of our district and of Eagle County,” said Eagle County School District Superintendent Phil Qualman. “Having him on the team will help ECSD continue to prioritize staff and student safety.”
In November, Eagle County voters approved a $100 million bond question. Some of these funds will address other safety concerns that came from last year’s assessment. Degen will be tasked with identifying priorities that will increase campus security and ways in which these dollars can be allocated to that purpose.
“Tad has the experience and skills to lead efforts to improve safety and security for students and staff across the district. I’m excited to work with Tad in this capacity and am grateful our community supported these efforts by voting for our bond question in November,” Qualman said.
