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2022 EDUCATION EDITION
Safety procedures may vary among districts and even campuses according to budget, ability and access. District Safety Procedures
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued mandates June 1 directing schools to review their safety plans and procedures and submit their results by Sept. 1. Mandated school safety reviews Review emergency operations plans Train school behavioral threat assessment team on campus procedures Train all sta and substitutes on district safety procedures Assess access-control procedures such as single-access entries and locked doors The governor’s mandate also authorizes Texas School Safety Center o cials to conduct in- person, unannounced random intruder detection audits to test security on campuses. SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE TEXAS GOVERNOR COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
PFLUGERVILLE ISD
ROUND ROCK ISD
AUSTIN ISD
Mass-alert system Security cameras on all buildings Controlled visitor entry point Police force or resource personnel
Mass-alert system Security cameras on all buildings Controlled visitor entry point Police force or resource personnel O cers/personnel at each campus*
Security cameras on all buildings Controlled visitor entry point Police force or resource personnel
O cers/personnel at each campus*
Mass-alert system
Badge system for students**
*NOT ON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CAMPUSES **STAFF AND TEACHERS ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR SECURITY BADGES, BUT ELEMENTARY STUDENTS ARE NOT. PFISD REQUIRES THAT MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WEAR NAME BADGES.
SOURCES: AUSTIN ISD, PFLUGERVILLE ISD, ROUND ROCK ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
company, to perform safety audits before schools reopened in mid-August. “We’ve actually kind of insti- tuted an innovative model of policing [at Round Rock ISD] that’s actually been nation- ally recognized already where
partners that have agreed to help us out,” Sneed said at AISD’s School Safety Summit on Aug. 6 of the dis- trict’s patrol plans. AISD has about $30 million available for security vestibules, AISD interim Superintendent Anthony Mays said. The vestibules, or entryways into the building with a double set of doors, were funded through the 2017 bond program. The district could have another $30 million in the proposed 2022 bond if approved by voters. Previous grants and bond money Prior to Uvalde, districts were updating school security through grants from Texas Senate Bill 11, which passed in 2019 after the May 2018 shooting at Santa Fe High School that left 10 dead. The bill allotted $100 million to the Texas Education Agency to help school districts update security. Addi- tionally, bonds passed in 2018 in each of the three area districts allocated funds to update security. With bond money from RRISD’s $508.4 million 2018 bond, the dis- trict spent about $30 million of the bond to address safety issues, and most of these projects are complete, LaCoste-Caputo, said. The district’s $287 million bond package from 2014 added security
vestibules, but a number of schools built before 2000 did not have secure front entries, Spence said. The 2018 bond allocated $8.6 million for secu- rity cameras, intrusion detection and access controls, and campus fencing. Mental health Security is not the only focus of district o cials. They also each have mental health plans in place. Abbott enacted a school and re- arm safety action plan that states early intervention of mental health issues can minimize delinquent and violent youth from a future of crime. “It is not necessarily a crime to be in a mental crisis. And so we don’t want to victimize somebody or criminalize that behavior, but also provide under- standing in those cases where it’s appropriate,” Sneed said. At AISD, counselors are available for students and sta needing any kind of help. “Counselors have peace corners, brain labs; they have places where students are being able to be regulated because we move through a trau- ma-informed lens with all of our stu- dents,” said Twyla Williams, director or counseling, crisis and mental health at AISD. Moving forward, o cials with local school districts said they are on alert when it comes to safety and security no matter how much they prepare for life on campus after Uvalde. “Safety, security is everyone’s responsibility to our students,” Sneed said. “The more eyes and ears we have, the better [and] safer our cam- puses can be.”
campuses to identify loopholes where a security breach could occur. All three districts also have police chiefs who began their terms in July, lead- ing their own police departments to undergo security drills ahead of the school year. “I want to assure [parents] that we’re going to use every resource pos- sible to ensure that their kids are safe on campus. If kids don’t feel safe, they can’t learn,” AISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed said. To tighten security on campus, AISD has seven law enforcement o - cers who are solely assigned to the school patrol division, Sneed said. All PfISD sta wear identi cation badges and are going through drills, PfISD Chief Communications O cer Tamra Spence said. O cials at all three districts said they are concerned about making sure students are able to continue learning without feeling the stress of security and police on campus. RRISD employed Navigate 360, a safety audit
safety obviously is our top priority,” said Jenny LaCoste-Caputo, chief of public a airs and communications at RRISD. Security measures in schools Additional security measures include adding surveillance cameras, bulletproof glass, magnetic locks, ves- tibule doors, door-locking systems and more law enforcement o cers. LaCoste-Caputo said RRISD focuses on teacher training and extensive background checks, especially for security clearance when someone requests access to enter a school. PfISD also uses secure front entry vestibules to require anyone entering a school to go into the front o ce, Spence said. AISD uses third-party monitoring for online threats to school security, Sneed said. These tools work hand in hand with tips from parents and sta . “We are going to be much more vigilant and visible, and we also have talked to some other law enforcement
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ROUND ROCK ISD $508.4M 2018 BOND
AUSTIN ISD $1.1B 2017 BOND
PFLUGERVILLE ISD $332M 2018 BOND
bond spending Bonds from all three districts over the past ve years have allocated funds to improve safety and security in the districts.
$222.7 million • Fire and intrusion alarm upgrades • Security camera replacements • Updates to re alarm systems
$29.8 million • Replace door locks • Install surveillance cameras and panic buttons • Upgrade visitor management system • Camera at entry system
$8.6 million • Security cameras • Intrusion detection & access controls • Campus fencing & pedestrian safety features
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
Safety and security bond projects
SOURCES: AUSTIN ISD, PFLUGERVILLE ISD, ROUND ROCK ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION • AUGUST 2022
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