After years of responding to emergencies with red and blue flashing lights and participating in high-speed chases in a patrol car, Coordinator of District Security Kevin Kavan has dedicated eight years to keeping the district safe. His commitment has kept Fremont Public School District’s flashing lights signaling a state of emergency from turning on.

Despite his passion for protecting the district, he has announced he will retire at the end of this school year. Over the course of his service, he has built an extensive list of accomplishments. To honor his commitment and dedication, the following provides a closer look at his life and lasting impact on Fremont Public Schools.

Before stepping into school security, Kavan patrolled the streets as a state trooper alongside his brother. With only a high school diploma and a commitment to public service, he made his way up the ranks through hands-on experiences and learning.

“Once you’re a state trooper, though, it’s rigorous training. It’s 24 weeks of training and it’s basically from the time you get up till 8 or 9 o’clock at night…” Kavan said. “And it’s pretty intense. They’re packing a lot of information, throwing it at you every single day.”

Having spent roughly 30 years in law enforcement, many experiences helped shape Kavan’s approach to his work. And while the tasks at hand demanded discipline and quick decision-making, there were still moments that brought excitement, and he could enjoy the thrill of the chase — literally.

“Pursuits were fun for me. I loved a good car chase,” Kavan said. “…I had a guy riding with me, too. It was his first or second day on the job. I can’t even remember, but we got done, and I don’t think I could even peel his fingers out of the dash. He was just white as a sheet and scared to death. So, never been in a car going fast in his life, and here he is riding with me on a pursuit. It’s a lot of fun.”

After retiring from being a state trooper, Kavan transitioned to private security, a job that he describes as the least enjoyable out of the many things he has dabbled in.

“Private security sounds really interesting, but it is about the most boring job you can think of,” Kavan said. “We did security for special events. We did courthouse security. We did prisoner transport. I was bored out of my mind.”

With the job not fulfilling his ideal path toward better work, he was ready to accept any open spots that provided more interaction.

“I got a call out of the blue from the Department of Education out of Lincoln, and they asked if I was interested in going down and learning about school safety and security. And I said, absolutely. And that was before they even gave me the spiel, how much money or anything like that. I said, sure, I said, I’ll come to Lincoln. I’ll do whatever you want,” Kavan said.

And just like that, he made his way to working in school safety, starting off in Lincoln, then circling around all over Nebraska, until finally settling at Fremont High School. Before even knowing a pay wage or the state of the school, Kavan was all in. He was just ready to do work he was passionate about.

On top of his passion for keeping students safe, he had a fair share of family members working throughout public schools.

“My brother is a teacher. My sister-in-law was a teacher. My two aunts … one was a principal at Clarmar Elementary years and years ago, and the other one taught in the Fremont Public School system,” Kavan said. “My mom worked in the schools, too, so anything I could do and think of to help schools stay safe, I was all in.”

With all of that in mind and using it as a driving force, Kavan could hone in on inspecting and improving the school little by little. He created a list of improvements he wanted to see. In the end, the list was around 43 projects long; he managed to accomplish around 40 of them.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m a person that gives up easily,” Kavan said. “Had it not been, it’s frustrating. I mean, it’s very, very frustrating, but it’s stuff that I really wanted to get in place. I wrote a list of 43 items that I wanted to accomplish when I started this job on day one. I think I have accomplished 40 of the 43 in the time that I’ve been here.”

Having little to no budget made that pursuit rather challenging for him. Although money was a setback, he didn’t let that stop him and pushed for grants to enhance the school’s security.

“The first grant I wrote, I got $104,000 to do school safety security throughout the district, and what we added were push-button locks for every classroom door,” Kavan said. “So every classroom door has a push-button lock that you can quickly shut, lock and get to a safe spot in the room.”

Recently, Kavan has taken the $600,000 from the second grant he received through the School Violence Prevention Program from the Department of Justice and begun implementing the new school features. This is one of the most exciting projects he has worked on, and it is also the most intensive.

To improve emergency preparedness and response time, he has introduced a new system that allows any administrator to initiate a lockdown immediately after pressing a handheld fob. Rather than relying on phone calls or radio communication, the device immediately alerts law enforcement while simultaneously activating safety precautions throughout the building. “Lockdown: Locks, Lights, Out of Sight” will begin being heard over the intercom in both English and Spanish, blue lights will flash to signal danger and every door will automatically lock to prevent anyone from entering the building during an emergency. This new system is designed to ensure everyone — whether in a classroom, gym or even coming into the building — is able to receive clear, immediate notification.

“It’s taken me years and years and years to get this accomplished, but on Monday, the final pieces of the puzzle are gonna be in place in this building. You guys are gonna have one of the safest buildings in the state of Nebraska,” Kavan said. “I am so excited.”

With the final pieces of the system now in place, he can divert his attention beyond his impactful career and focus on the opportunities retirement brings. Looking at a more personal side of the district security coordinator, Kavan enjoys a variety of pastimes.

“I love to read, watch baseball, watch football, watch college basketball, work out, go for long walks, take care of the two acres we live on, garden, travel to Minnesota to visit my daughter and go out to eat every Friday evening.”

After years dedicated to protecting students and staff, it is safe to say the school district is sad to see such a trusted and impactful team member go. Having worked as hard as he did, the school’s safety foundation is set strongly, and the list of goals written by Kevin Kavan will be carried on and accomplished one at a time.

“I hope it’s someone much younger than me that has brand-new, fresh ideas and he or she takes it and just runs with it. And I know it’ll be frustrating for them as well, trying to get the funds to do it, but I hope they persevere. I hope they go out there and get the funds to do whatever they want to do and to accomplish,” Kavan said. “I will say I was very, very fortunate to be able to go all over Nebraska and look at different schools to see what systems they have in place for safety and security, so I could put those ideas into motion when I came here. So, I hope that person has experience and has the capability to go out and look at other places as well.”