Emergency preparedness and safety are the mission of our division.  Our goal is to ensure that all students, staff and visitors are safe in our campuses and facilities.

Our prevention/mitigation measures include: 

• Security vestibules at our elementary schools and our newer secondary campuses.
• Screening visitors through the Raptor system and requiring that visitors be identified.
• Training staff and students to be observant and to report unidentified individuals and any safety concerns.
• Conducting safety and security audits, as required by the Texas Education Code and as needed to ensure a safe learning environment.
• A school safety and security committee that monitors compliance with local, state and federal mandates.

Our preparedness efforts include: 

• Multi-hazard district and campus emergency operations plans.
• Drills in accordance with the standards of the Texas School Safety Center.
• Coordination with federal, state and local authorities and first responders.
• District and campus level emergency equipment and supplies.
• Mutual-aid, inter-local and other agreements to support comprehensive emergency preparedness.

Our response elements include: 

• Implementation of Standard Response Protocol, e.g. Lockdown, Lockout, Evacuation, and Shelter-in-Place. 
• Use of Incident Command System (ICS).
• Effective public information/notifications systems.
• Collaboration with local first responders.  

Our recovery procedures include: 

• Plans for the emotional and physical health of students and staff after an incident.
• After-action reviews and corrective action plans, as needed.
• Continuity of operation planning to continue school/district functions during and after an incident.