Back to school: Area districts make security adjustments ahead of new school year
In preparation for the new school year and in part of a national response to the Uvalde elementary school shooting, area districts have reevaluated and updated their schools' security measures.
Districts across Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle area, including but not limited to Amarillo ISD, River Road ISD, Highland Park ISD, and Canyon ISD have held district-wide assessments of entry ways, school admissions, cameras, outdoor walkways and mental health programs to help prevent any potential threat to their campuses.
For districts like Highland Park ISD, who has been making these security adjustments since 2019, their added security measures include a reassessment of their recently updated security measures and more programming to include mental health awareness for their students.
"We began these updates back in 2019, so we are just going in and taking care of some minor issues before for this school year, but the majority was taken care of previously. ... Obviously we are focused on the safety and security of our students and staff, and that is what we strive for daily," said Jimmy Hannon, Highland Park ISD superintendent.
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Other districts such as Amarillo ISD and River Road ISD did a full assessment of their facilities and added or are working to complete projects such as new outer door locks, fencing that encompasses the entire property, updated cameras, and bullet resistant glass. Campuses across the districts have also reduced the number of outer access points, and many have implemented a two-part security system for individuals entering the main doors of the schools.
According to River Road ISD Superintendent Richard Kelly, all of their district's campuses now include their own Security Resource Officer, or SRO. Pampa ISD also reached out to their community on Facebook about the addition for two new SRO's for their district added to their campuses, stating: "Not only have we added two new SRO’s, we have also implemented a general order that our Officers will be in the schools daily ... We are going to be a presence in our schools. Not only is safety and security a priority for our agency, but our opportunity also to make connections with our most precious commodity (our kids) is imperative to our community thriving," said Lance Richburg, Pampa Police Department Chief in the post.
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AISD also included additional safety measures such as the purchase and installment of solid core doors and classroom function door locks for all classrooms. These locks allow the door locks to lock automatically every time a door is closed and will require a key or an electronic fob to open. According to AISD, about 2,600 doors across the district have been retrofitted with these locks, at an estimated cost of $420,000.
In addition to these locks, the district has installed air-conditioning in all elementary gymnasiums to ensure that gym doors will no longer need to be propped open for ventilation purposes. These air-conditioning instillations are reported to be installed within the year and will cost the district a total of $600,000.
AISD Superintendent Doug Loomis stated in a news release: “These additional security measures may seem expensive, but they are vital to an environment in which our students, parents, and school staff feel safe. In June, our Board committed a large portion of the District’s reserve funds to pay for these and other added security measures. Now, more than ever, safety is our top priority.”
In addition to the security measures within the schools, the Wheeler County Sheriff's Department reminded parents in a Facebook post to take caution in posting their child information during back to school week. Parents are reminded not to share their child's names, age, or where they go to school; do not share pictures at your child’s bus stop showing street signs, and do not include teacher’s names, grade, or school. as well as be wary when posting any identifying features like weight and height of a child or any other overly personal information such as passwords or answers to security questions.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: School districts update security systems for new school year
