Changes could be on the way to improve school safety in the Lewisville ISD. They come from a task force that gathered following several deadly school shootings in the U.S.
Dozens were chosen to sit on the Lewisville ISD panel, including parents, administrators, police, teachers and students.
Lunch is just one of Dayana Felecian's favorite parts of the school day.
“I'm into Spanish right now,” said the 9th grader at Flower Mound High School. “But I'm also a big history and science geek."
There is one thing Felicien says she never gave a whole lot of thought to during the school day... school safety.
“Not really,” she said. “When I go from home to school I just feel like it's another home.”
Dayana says she did think about the subject more, once she was picked to be a part of a school safety task force at Lewisville ISD.
“We knew our community was not at ease regarding school safety,” said Dr. Kevin Rogers, superintendent of schools in Lewisville ISD.
Rogers says the idea for a school safety task force was hatched after deadly school shootings in Santa Fe, Texas and Parkland, Florida. They came up with recommendations. Student ID badges, better threat detection, tighter security at doors and mental health counseling topped the list of priorities.
Metal detectors and arming teachers were at the bottom.
“I had my personal belief against those programs, but I didn't want to just land on my personal belief,” said Rogers. “I needed to hear it from the community."
There are 69 total campuses in Lewisville ISD. Rogers says securing them all can be quite a task. He says the community plays a big role, like when students reported a fellow student had a gun on campus last winter at Marcus High School. No one was hurt.
“Yes, it takes all of us,” said Rogers, adding many of the top recommended changes could take place by early next year.
Felicien says it's important that students have a say in campus safety. She’s glad she’s playing a role.
“Security is a critical topic we should talk about,” she said. “It's not just something we should put under a rug."
