After the tragedy that struck Robb Elementary School in Uvalde last May, Gov. Greg Abbott instructed the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) to conduct in-person, random intruder detection audits of school districts. The purpose of the audits is to find vulnerable access points and determine possible areas of improvement needed in security procedures at campuses across the state.
The audits started in September 2022. Between September and December, 2,864 campuses were audited statewide. Of those, 71.6% did not have any corrective actions that needed to be made, while 28.4% were required to implement corrective actions. Inspectors of 95.3% of the audited campuses did not gain unauthorized access.
Inspectors evaluate campuses based on the following, according to the TxSSC:
• Intruder Detection Audit Finding: Inspectors check if they are able to gain unauthorized access to the campus
• Exterior Door Audit Finding: Inspectors check if one or more issues were found with the security of one or more exterior doors (door[s] not secured, not locked, broken or propped open)
• Classroom Door Audit Finding: Inspectors check if a district has a written/verbal policy or directive to lock classroom doors
• Weekly Door Sweeps Audit Finding: Inspectors check if campuses document weekly exterior door sweeps.
The audits are not a simple pass/fail, rather they are based on findings/no findings.
Districts must address corrective actions within 45 business days from the date of the TxSSC’s initial notification. Districts must complete the following actions and provide relevant documentation to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and TxSSC:
• District School Safety and Security Committee Plan: The committee meets to discuss the audit and develop a plan to train all campus staff on the area(s) of corrective action.
• In-Person training for staff: The committee holds staff training(s) to review the findings of the audit and invite staff feedback on how to improve procedures in the area(s) of corrective action.
• The committee provides meeting minutes to document the reporting and discussion of audit findings, as well as training date(s) for staff.
• At the next regularly scheduled board of trustees meeting, the board notifies the public of the completed audit, any corrective action(s) and the timeline/plan to address the corrective action(s).
• The board provides the meeting agenda to reflect the presentation of audit findings and corrective action(s) planning.
Some campuses in Hays CISD, Dripping Springs ISD and Wimberley ISD have received intruder detection audits since last fall. To ensure the safety of students and staff, specific campuses and their findings will not be named.
Hays CISD
According to Hays CISD Head of District Safety and Security Jeri Skrocki, intruder detection audits for the district are ongoing and 13 campuses out of the total 26 have been audited so far.
During the March 6 special school board meeting, Skrocki provided an update to the board regarding one campus that received a “notice of finding” from TxSSC.
Skrocki explained that while the campus did not receive findings in TxSSC’s other mandated areas, it received a finding for an unlocked interior door.
Hays CISD has its own internal policy regarding doors. Skrocki noted that while doors on every campus are required to be locked at all times, there are “nuances” to the policy that allow for exceptions. For example, during breakout sessions where students are in small groups being observed in hallways or across from classrooms, she said.
“I contacted TxSSC specifically because my question was, ‘Are you looking at our specific policy to make assessments in regards to this?’ They advised that they were clearly just looking for a door, whether it was open or not, and if students were present,” Skrocki said. “So they didn’t take into consideration any other guidelines that were part of our particular policy.”
“Keep in mind, once they find a violation, that’s typically going to be it. They may walk a little bit farther, but they go as far as that. One door is all it takes,” Skrocki later added.
She said that following the finding, administrative orders per district policy were followed to address the issue, which included looking into the individual guidelines and what the circumstances were. The district also received TxSSC’s mandate for corrective actions on what the district had to do post-inspection, which was followed.
Skrocki said that there have been some other issues on campuses that will be brought up at a later board meeting. However, she said that the district has so far been in 100% compliance with the exterior door locks and weekly door sweeps.
“The reality is we’re going to have one-offs. There’s going to be issues in certain circumstances that may arise,” she said. “If we may have an issue or a circumstance that doesn’t meet or doesn’t comply with our standards, that doesn’t matter for TxSSC. It’s very black and white.”
Despite the campus finding, Skrocki said that she feels confident in how district staff has complied with the safety policies.
“We are reaching out and making every effort to make this the new normal, if you will, because it is. It’s a very new dynamic to the district but I think we’re making great headway,” she said. “There’s always going to be hiccups in the road, but I’m very pleased that the staff [complies] and we’re working through the problems as we identify them … It’s really getting people to understand we’re operating under a new standard. There’s going to be people who are maybe resistant to it, but I think when we’ve had the opportunity to actually stand in front of them and communicate and express a lot of those issues, I’m finding that more and more people are being responsive … I’m really starting to see a lot of our staff holding others accountable, which is exactly what we hope to have — those eyes and ears everywhere.”
Skrocki also added that Hays CISD has gone “one step further” than most other districts by including an internal policy about keeping doors locked.
“We’re ahead of the curve and we have made a mandate requesting our teachers to do it before it has become required,” Skrocki said. “Quite frankly, I believe that is going to happen at some point in the future and our district is not going to have any growing pains because we’re going to already be there.”
Dripping Springs ISD
Out of its eight total campuses, intruder detection audits have been conducted on five DSISD campuses during the 2022-23 school year. In the fall semester, one campus had findings, but corrective actions have since been taken to resolve those.
“DSISD officials are working closely with the district’s Safety & Security Committee to ensure that we are training all our staff and securing our doors for the protection of everyone at our campuses,” said Blake Barrington, communications specialist. “The district’s top priority is keeping our students and staff safe.”
Barrington added that the board of trustees approved $600,000 in June 2022 to be allocated to safety and security improvements for the district.
“Details about the specific improvements were not publicly released given the security sensitive nature of the items,” he said.
Approximately $16.7 million is also included in the May 2023 bond referendum for security updates.
Wimberley ISD
Three of the four WISD campuses have received intruder detection audits since the beginning of the fall semester. All campuses had no findings in need of corrective actions.
“We are very pleased that all of our campuses that have had unannounced intruder audits have received positive reviews with no corrective actions identified. These results have only been possible because of the dedication of our teachers and staff, the leadership of our administrators, the ownership our students are taking to prioritize safety and the support of our parents and community,” said Superintendent Dr. Greg Bonewald. “We recognize that every person has a role in contributing toward a safe school environment and that each campus has unique factors that impact what safe operation at that particular campus looks like.”
WISD has incorporated the following elements into its approach to the safety of both its students and staff:
• All staff are trained in mental health first aid and teachers are trained in trauma informed practices.
• Utilization of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) helps identify and support any student that is struggling in any area.
• Staff undergoes various 'response' trainings so they are prepared should an incident occur. The district works closely with local first responders to ensure effective coordination in prevention, preparation and in potential response situations.
• The district has compiled and updated detailed Emergency Operations Plans.
• Each campus has strict access control. Students and staff access locked doors with badges, while all others must be allowed in through front office entry protocols.
• There are miscellaneous maintenance items that have occurred where needed including adding small viewing windows to some classroom doors that didn't have them, adding badge readers to exterior doors and other 'hardening' measures.
• A comprehensive video camera system is utilized at all campuses.
• Each student and staff member is empowered to contribute to a positive safety-focused climate. This includes ensuring doors aren't blocked or held open, unknown visitors are questioned and redirected to proper entrance areas, IDs/badges are worn and utilized, classroom doors remain locked at all times and students are encouraged to say something if they see something.
• The P3 anonymous reporting tool is promoted and encouraged to be used.
• The district has added the Texan Watch program, which is a community volunteer group that attends special functions on campuses to provide extra sets of eyes and ears. “Schools are learning organizations and our learning related to designing and operating campuses in the safest manner possible is an ongoing effort. Our goal and expectation is that we will utilize the information provided through our internal safety audits and these external intruder audits to continuously learn about opportunities we have to improve and enhance our safety practices,” Dr. Bonewald said.
