EDUCATION BRIEFS
News from Conroe, Montgomery & Willis ISDs
Montgomery ISD to implement ID badges as security measure
BY ANNA LOTZ
“When we have those trickling in of students, right now there is somebody at the front of the building that basically has to monitor those cameras all the time, and they will let anyone in through the doors,” she said. ID cards can also be used to check out books from the library and are expected to decrease time in cafeteria lines and improve efficiency with dismissal, she said. In the future, the district plans to add technology that will allow bus tracking and use ID cards to take attendance, manage admission to school events, and check in at the nurse’s or counselor’s offices so staff knows where students are in an emergency. The program will be phased in, Davis said, as the ID cards have a 10-week wait time, which will push the implementation past the first day of school. “We also want to make sure that we are kind of changing the mindset that every single student and every single staff member wears badges, just so that way when we are walking on campus, every single person knows to ask for identification when you’re walking around,” Davis said. “We want every student to be vigilant in knowing that
INVESTING IN ID CARDS
MONTGOMERY ISD The Montgomery ISD board of trustees approved the purchase of staff and student ID badges June 28 that will be required to be visibly worn on campuses starting in the 2022-23 school year in an effort to improve safety and security. The purchase totals $87,566 in startup costs, Executive Director of Technology Amanda Davis said during a presentation to trustees. “It is our highest priority each and every day to keep the safety of our staff and students foremost in what we do,” Superintendent Heath Morrison said during the meeting. These ID cards will allow the district to decrease the risk of unidentified visitors and reduce unse- cured doors on campuses, Davis said. “That’s going to be a retraining of staff and students to make sure every single student, every single staff member wears that badge with fidelity,” she said. In addition, secondary students who have per- mission to leave or arrive early for other obligations will be able to access doors with their ID cards, Davis said.
Trustees approved purchasing ID badges for staff and students for the 2022-23 school year. Total startup costs
$87,566
7,000
Purchase includes
ID cards for grades 9-12 and
14,000
cards for pre-K-grade 8
2
Pre-K-grade 8 students will receive cards each, one to wear and one to clip on a backpack
Replacement cards will cost approximately to reprint
$5
SOURCE: MONTGOMERY ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
is an expectation of our district—whether you’re a contractor, whether or not you’re a maintenance worker, whether you’re a superintendent, you always have a badge on you; you always have that identification.”
New school named, high school projects hit delays in Conroe
A new elementary school near FM 1484 and Airport Road has been named Janet K. Bartlett Elementary.
BY KYLEE HAUETER CONROE ISD The board of trustees voted June 21 on naming four facil- ities: two new elementary schools, a police command center and the natatorium. Among the projects named is Flex 23, the elementary school being built in the Caney Creek/ Conroe feeder zone. Opening in August 2024, the school was named Janet K. Bartlett Elementary School. Bartlett taught at CISD for 30 years. The board voted to name the police command center after outgoing
police Chief William Harness and the natatorium after Laura Wilkinson, an Olympic gold medalist diver who trained in The Woodlands. Director of Construction and Planning Easy Foster also updated the board on construction projects. Foster said work at Conroe High School has encountered a problem due to a cement shortage. “We have a contractor diligently working, trying to find innovative ways to make sure we return the former Wilson Road location and the
homeside parking lot—which is where our faculty and staff and drop-off loop are for next year—back to a drivable condition,” Foster said. One of the district’s concrete suppliers could not provide concrete on time, but Foster said they are working with two other suppliers. “This is one we are concerned about and watching over, but our contractor is committed to making sure we have school in this location next year,” Foster said. Foster also noted while the Caney
Opening in August 2024
Draws from the Caney Creek/Conroe feeder zone
SOURCE: CONROE ISD/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Creek High School renovation is overall on schedule, the front entryway will not be ready for school in August, and the district is working to create an alternate secure entry/ exit for students and staff.
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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