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Several safety and security enhancements have been implemented in Cy-Fair ISD over the past decade with more than $260 million in bond projects approved in 2014 and 2019. BOLSTERING INFRASTRUCTURE
INCIDENTS INCREASE OVER TIME There have been 1,754 gun violence incidents at K-12 schools nationwide since 1999. Two of the ve deadliest school shootings have happened in Texas.
2000
2001
TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVES • Additional security cameras • Lockdown panic buttons • Upgraded intrusion detection panels • Classroom phones • Additional card readers on exterior doors • Enhanced video intercoms and PA systems
1999 The Texas School Safety Center is established.
2002 The Advanced Law
1999 A school shooting in Columbine, Colorado, has 13 fatalities.
Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at Texas State University is established.
PHOTOS COURTESY CY FAIR ISD
SECURING CAMPUSES • Secure vestibules at all campuses • Bullet-resistant glass on doors and in high-tra c areas • Exterior window and door numbering • Fencing around portable buildings and playgrounds
buttons and card readers. “We way outspend the money that we’re going to receive [from the state],” Superintendent Mark Henry said at the June 20 school board meeting. House Bill 3 e ects Starting this school year, each public school in Texas must have at least one armed security o cer during school hours. If districts are unable to meet this requirement due to a lack of funds or personnel, school boards must develop an alternative plan, which may include school marshals or arming other sta , HB 3 states. CFISD employs 117 police o cers— two are stationed at each high school, one is assigned to each middle school, and o cers patrol elementary schools by zones throughout the day, CFISD Police Chief Eric Mendez said. At the June 20 board meeting, Hull said the state’s chief safety and secu- rity o cer “felt con dent that [the district’s existing model] met the stan- dard” laid out in HB 3. Additional HB 3 requirements include mental health and threat iden- ti cation training for school employ- ees; procedures for students to report concerning behavior; a parent noti ca- tion system regarding violent activity at their child’s school; and more state
oversight on safety measures. School safety was a priority for many following a school shooting in Uvalde last year that resulted in 21 fatalities. State Rep. Jon Rosenthal, D Houston, said while the motivation behind HB 3 was good, the Legislature didn’t provide su cient funding for school safety expenses. “So you have an unfunded man- date,” he said. “No matter how people line up about their thoughts of having another gun in the school, … we’re not giving the schools near enough money to pay for this.” Attempts by the Texas House to increase the safety allotment didn’t move forward in the Senate for inclu- sion in the nal bill. “While the budget passed by the Legislature includes $1.4 billion for school safety equipment and safety measures, ... I know that funding is a great concern for our districts,” state Rep. Lacey Hull, R Houston, said in an email. “I hear these funding concerns from the districts I represent, and I believe that the Legislature will revisit school funding in an upcoming special
• Door prop alarms • Metal detectors
POLICE DEPARTMENT UPGRADES • Expansion of Ben Bradley Security Center • Replacement and addition of police vehicles and radios
SOURCE: CY FAIR ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT
SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING
Text ”CFISD” to 738477 or visit bit.ly/ cyfairtipline.
The Cy-Fair Tipline now has texting capabilities. Students and parents can submit anonymous tips 24/7.
of Sta Teresa Hull said. Allocated funds can be spent on safety infrastructure; the hiring of o cers, mental health personnel or a school safety director; rearm train- ing; active-shooter response training; and evidence-based threat prevention e orts, according to HB 3. CFISD budgeted $49.1 million from its general fund for the 2023-24 school year to cover the district’s police
department, psychological services, counselors and the district’s mental health intervention team. In 2019, CFISD voters approved $207.7 million in safety and security enhancements as part of a $1.76 billion bond package. Most projects have been completed or are in progress, including security fencing, classroom phones, impact-resistant glass, secure vesti- bules, door prop alarms, lockdown
session this year.” CFISD strategies
CFISD’s Safety and Security Com- mittee oversees the development and
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