Following the school shooting at Santa Fe High School that left 10 students and teachers dead Friday, districts in North Texas are reassuring the community that they are taking proactive measures through working together with police and students.
Arlington ISD
Dear AISD parents, students, staff and stakeholders,
We find ourselves once again mourning the loss of students and staff inside a school at Santa Fe High School. Our prayers go out to those suffering this tragic loss.
We want to assure you that we are committed to the safety and security of all our students and staff. We believe our campuses are safe, and we continue to work to make them safer. We regularly monitor our practices and procedures in collaboration with the Arlington Police Department, our security department and our administrators and make adjustments as needed. Since the tragedy in Florida in February, we have conducted trainings for campus administrators with the Arlington Police Department. The Arlington Police Department will also have a strong presence across the district at drop-off and pick-up times for the remainder of the school year.
Our collaboration with the Arlington Police Department is vital to school safety. The APD is a resource for us in the assessment of physical security for campuses and assists in the periodic review of crisis plans. Please know that threats are taken seriously and are swiftly and thoroughly investigated and addressed. In addition, we work to monitor student behavior that is beyond the violations of the Student Code of Conduct and align students/families with the appropriate resources to address students' emotional and social needs. We are also assessing ways we can partner with the police department in this area. You can see more information about our security practices online.
Schools should be among the safest places for students and staff, and we are committed to ensuring just that. Please continue to encourage our students to say something if they see or hear something.
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Sincerely,
Dr. Marcelo Cavazos
Superintendent
Dallas ISD
The Dallas Independent School District sends its thoughts and prayers to the Santa Fe High School community in the wake of the unimaginable and unthinkable tragedy.
School safety is a top priority each day, and the district has recently reviewed all safety and security procedures to ensure our students, staff and community remain safe. Additionally, discussions are ongoing with our secondary students regarding solutions on school safety.
Recently, Dallas ISD launched a campaign, “See, Say, Do Something," designed for student input. It encourages people to speak up if they see something out of the ordinary, say something to an adult, so we can do something to ensure all schools remain safe.
Fort Worth ISD
Fort Worth, Texas – Following the tragic circumstances that unfolded today, May 18, at a public high school in Galveston County, Texas, Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Kent. P. Scribner sent the following message to his District employees:
Once again we are immensely saddened by the loss of innocent lives in a tragic shooting at a school…this time at Santa Fe High School in Galveston County, Texas.
Several years ago we implemented a Fort Worth Police Department training program entitled ‘Avoid, Deny, Defend’ to prepare for a worst-case scenario here. We will revisit that training across the District, asking our team to review and reinforce all safety procedures on and around our campuses.
We must continue to be observant and renew our commitment to a strong and safe school community. Additionally, we must support the social and emotional health of children and adults through communication and vigilance.
Governor Greg Abbott has ordered Texas flags to fly at half-staff in memory of the victims at Santa Fe High School until sunset (or close of business on Tuesday, May 22. Fort Worth ISD will comply with this order.
Keller ISD
Dear Keller ISD Families,
Keller ISD is deeply saddened by the events in Santa Fe ISD today, and our hearts are with those impacted. We realize that when tragedies like this occur, it ultimately has an effect on all of us, and we want to ensure you that school safety is always top of mind in Keller ISD.
As with all school districts across the nation, we remain on alert and in touch with law enforcement officials to ensure safety in and around our campuses through frequent visits and patrols throughout the District.
The District has many safety measures in place to ensure our students are safe at school, including, but not limited to, a proactive threat assessment protocol, regular lockdown drills, faculty training, security systems, District security personnel, frequent visits by all five surrounding police agencies, and plans toward a new on-site and off-site reunification process. These are all in place to address threats before an individual wishing to do harm acts, as well as keep our students and staff aware of safety procedures should an incident occur.
For more detailed information about each of Keller ISD’s school safety procedures, please visit www.KellerISD.net/safety.
Thank you for your support and commitment to keeping the Keller ISD community safe.
Sincerely,
Dr. Rick Westfall
Mansfield ISD
Dear Mansfield ISD Community:
The safety and security of our students and staff are paramount to Mansfield ISD. We have no reason to believe that any of our schools have been threatened, but we want to take every precaution to ensure our students and staff are safe. Immediately upon learning of the tragic shooting at Santa Fe ISD, we reached out to police leaders in the MISD community and asked them to partner with the MISD Police Department to ensure that there is an armed officer at each of our campuses for the remainder of the school year.
This spring, Mansfield ISD held discussions with students, staff and community members to study ideas to make our schools safer. All of the suggestions raised from those meetings were presented to the district’s newly formed Safety Planning Committee, which includes parents, administrators, teachers, students and community members.
The committee is currently evaluating every idea that was presented to make our schools safer and will be making recommendations to our school board for their consideration. Once the Board makes their final decisions, new safety measures will be in place next year to enhance the safety measures that are already in place in our district. In the meantime, the Mansfield ISD Police Department will be receiving assistance from the Mansfield Police Department, the Tarrant County Constable’s Office, and the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department to have police presence at each and every one of our campuses for the remainder of the year.
