SAFETY AND SECURITY
This chapter reviews the safety and security of the North Forest Independent School District (NFISD) in the following sections:
- A. Security Operations
- B. Safety Programs
- C. Student Discipline Management
B. SAFETY PROGRAMS
A safe school district develops a crisis plan, which includes procedures for identifying possible threats and promptly responding to potentially dangerous situations. NFISD recently updated its crisis management plan. The crisis plan was originally developed by the chief of police in the early 1990s, then was updated in 2001 by the special assistant to the superintendent and the safety committee. The plan provides guidance for a variety of emergencies, from weather to a downed aircraft.
Principals, administrators and supervisors are responsible for instructing students and staff about proper behavior and for educating all district personnel about safety rules and regulations. Administrators rely on preventive measures designed to deter misbehavior and programs that detect violations of law or policy.
Elementary schools usually do not have the same discipline and security concerns that secondary schools have. Elementary students do not have lockers, do not drive cars and usually do not have the same level of exposure to such things as drugs, gangs or weapons as older students. As a result, NFISD elementary schools use age-appropriate safety measures, such as uniforms, as well as districtwide security policies, such as requiring visitors to sign in at the office, limiting the number of staff with master keys to district facilities and placing security alarms on high-risk areas such as the computer lab.
Middle and high schools generally require stronger measures to keep students, staff and property safe. Exhibit 12-7 shows a sample of the programs and policies used at NFISD high schools and middle schools.
Exhibit 12-7 Source: Interviews with NFISD principals, April 2002.
Sample Safety Measures at Secondary Schools
2001-02
Method Forest Brook
High SchoolSmiley High School Kirby Middle School Oak Village Middle School Purpose Identify Visitors Yes,
sign-in policyYes,
sign-in policyYes,
sign in policyYes,
sign-in policyIntruder Alert Identify Staff No No No No Intruder Alert Identify Students by ID or uniform No No Yes, uniform Yes, uniform Intruder Alert, Minimize Gang Association Master Key Control Yes Yes Yes Yes Asset Security District Security Personnel Assigned patrol Assigned patrol No assigned patrol, but officers will make calls Assigned patrol Truancy, Incident Management, Trespassers Single Point of Entry No, but reduced entry with fencing and gates No, but reduced entry with fencing and gates No, but reduced entry with fencing and gates No, but reduced entry with fencing and gates Intruder Alert Hall Lockers Yes Yes No No Weapons, Drugs Clear or Mesh Back packs Yes Yes Yes Yes Weapons, Drugs Security Alarms Yes Yes Yes Yes Asset Security Security Scanners Extracurricular events Extracurricular events Extracurricular events Extracurricular events Weapons, Contraband NFISD contracts with a K-9 drug-detection company to periodically inspect school facilities. The company sweeps parking lots, common areas and lockers. The principals said the dog does not routinely search classrooms. A review of the K-9 search logs revealed that most alerts occur on parking lot vehicles. A review of police calls for service shows 18 calls for controlled substances that were not a result of K-9 visits. The K-9 contract does not call for weapons searches.
Surveys by TSPR of parents, students and staff indicate a general belief that drugs, weapons and vandalism are a problem in NFISD schools. Random visits by TSPR to district schools revealed schools with boarded windows, writing on walkway pillars, missing ceiling tiles and fire-alarm boxes with bent and dented doors. Public forum comments stated that students at both high schools have destroyed expensive security cameras, destroyed walls by kicking them in, broken school glass and vandalized bathrooms.
A review of police incidents from January 2001 to April 2002 revealed 151 assault calls, 52 burglary calls, 35 criminal mischief calls, 168 disorderly conduct calls, 157 disruption calls, 34 theft calls, 106 trespassing calls and five weapons calls. A review of the disciplinary referral log, though, showed at least eight incidents involving some type of weapon in the 2001-02 school year. The chief of police said the discrepancy regarding weapons calls and incidents is because the department is not called in on all criminal activity.
FINDING
NFISD does not regularly perform emergency drills other than fire drills. Administrators said that during weather emergency alerts, teachers move students into inside hallways and follow the NFISD crisis management plans. The crisis management administrator said the district held drills for nurses and counselors for volatile situations such as a fight on school grounds and death of students or staff, but the district does not schedule or require practice on all types of emergencies covered under the crisis management plan.
The district has a crisis management plan for different types of emergencies. Principals give most of the crisis training to staff, but if a school requests other training the crisis management administrator will provide it.
Some school districts cover other types of emergencies by practicing more than weather and fire emergency procedures. Spring ISD developed a schedule of emergency drills that are practiced on a routine basis and documents the drills performed.
Recommendation 134:
Conduct drills of the district crisis management plan.
Drill scenarios can be school- or community-based, but should include community emergency response providers as appropriate. Drills can be simple or elaborate, and should involve a reviewer who observes the process, notes any problems and meets with participants to debrief and improve the process. The plan should also include notification to parents that these types of drills will be part of the district's safety preparedness program.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The special assistant to the superintendent meets with principals to determine likely scenarios for drills. November 2002 2. The special assistant to the superintendent selects scenarios and develops a drill schedule. December 2002 3. Principals and staff perform drills according to the schedule, noting areas needing improvement. January 2003 - April 2003 4. The special assistant to the superintendent meets with staff and other drill participants to discuss weaknesses observed during drills and find solutions. May 2003 5. The special assistant to the superintendent continues to develop annual drill schedules and monitor performance. Ongoing FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources.
FINDING
The district has not consistently enforced its polices and procedures for identifying persons on school grounds. The district uses a combination of procedures to distinguish visitors from students and staff. District middle schools and elementary schools have adopted dress policies that require students to wear designated colors of clothing, but schools have not consistently enforced these policies. Staff is not required to wear school uniform colors, although many do as a show of school unity. At Kirby Middle School, for example, teachers wear the school colors khaki and red or white one day a week to show school pride. High school students do not wear uniforms.
Staff and students are not required to wear identification badges, although the chief of police purchased equipment and made badges. Administrators said the district has no policy requiring schools to use identification cards and had no consequences for losing an identification card. The badge-making equipment, has bar-coding capabilities meaning the cards can hold emergency medical information as well as identification information. Because of the data storage capabilities of the card system, there are numerous opportunities for card use, such as checking out equipment or library books.
The badge-making equipment is slow and had camera problems, So pictures were taken of many students but not all students received badges. Students at the high schools received photo identification badges. The chief of police said the equipment is working and available, but is very time consuming. The chief of police priced a faster system at approximately $10,000, but the district has not decided whether to purchase the upgraded equipment.
Random visits by the TSPR team showed schools do not always have clearly visible signs that inform visitors of the need to sign in at the office. All school offices visited had several sign in logs on the counter requiring a visitor to search for the right log. At several schools, office staff did not require the TSPR team member to sign-in or inform the team member whether a visitor's pass was needed. Visitor passes are available in office where only authorized staff can dispense them.
Public forum comments noted unauthorized people are in school buildings. One employee new to the district said he has been able to move throughout district schools without school staff challenging or identifying him. Identifying visitors is important for the safety of students, staff and to the visitors themselves. Properly identifying visitors is important to deterring and investigating criminal incidents. Officers can use information from visitor logs to locate witnesses or suspects in criminal investigations. Visitor logs also provide a record of individuals in the building during a crisis, making it easier for emergency responders to identify crisis victims and notify interested parties.
Killeen ISD implemented an identification badge program for staff and students that makes identifying visitors or unauthorized personnel easier. The Kerrville ISD middle school uses a large, bright yellow sticker badge for visitors. The badge is clearly visible from a distance. Donna ISD uses large signs in the front of each school that inform visitors in English and Spanish that they must sign-in at the office. Kingsville ISD alternative school provides orange jumpsuits for students to pull on when they wear clothing that violates the dress rules, allowing students to attend class while providing an incentive to students to comply with the dress code in the future.
Recommendation 135:
Enforce the policies and procedures related to identifying visitors, staff and students.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The executive director of Elementary Education and the executive director of Secondary Education meet with school administrators to discuss identification policies, procedures and options for enforcement. October 2002 2. The executive director of Elementary Education and the executive director of Secondary Education draft additional procedures to help schools enforce existing identification policies and procedures. December 2002 3. The executive director of Elementary Education and the executive director of Secondary Education provide copies of the amended procedures to affected staff. February 2003 4. Principals provide changes to enforcement procedures to parents by updating the student code of conduct. March 2003 FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources.
FINDING
The district has metal detectors, but only uses them occasionally. Administrators at some secondary schools have metal-detecting wands. The district also has walk-through type detectors, which are used for extracurricular events. The hand-held wands were purchased by the Police Department for the schools to use as needed. One principal said he has not used his wands in almost two years.
The chief of police started using walk-through detectors at sport events. They were originally purchased for use at football and basketball games, but they are just used at football games. The chief said the discussion on use of detectors has been one of philosophical differences. The Police Department wants to use them because of safety concerns.
In interviews, administrators said using metal detectors in the schools meant admitting that the district has weapons problems. Administrators generally believe that the district does not have a problem with weapons at school. One principal thought using metal detectors could be viewed as harassment of students. The executive director of Secondary Education said there is a cultural misperception that the district has a weapons problem, when the incident of weapons in the district is small.
A review of referrals to the Guidance Center from September 2001 to March 2002 shows five weapons possession referrals and two fight referrals where cutting or stabbing was involved. TSPR surveyed students on safety issues. One student commented "Our district is in chaos. Students bring knives, drugs, fear and destruction to our district. They bring an immense sense of discomfort to everyone here."
Many times metal detectors are used as a deterrent similar to a drug-sniffing dog and not to harass or punish students. Some urban districts randomly use metal detectors to identify weapons before they are used, as well as to discourage students from bringing weapons to school. Detector use is not an admission of a problem, but a commitment to making students, staff and parents feel safe. Many districts use detectors as one part of an overall weapons prevention program.
Recommendation 136:
Develop and implement a procedure for random metal detector use.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The chief of police researches other school districts' procedures for using metal detectors. September 2002 2. The chief of police presents procedure options to the superintendent and principals. January 2003 3. The superintendent and principals discuss and agree upon detector use procedures. January 2003 4. The superintendent submits draft procedures to the school attorney and board for review and approval. March 2003 5. The superintendent directs implementation of the adopted procedures. April 2003 FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources.