Safety & Security Committee August Update
The GISD Safety and Security Committee convened on Thursday, August 10. This committee, consisting of a variety of district stakeholders, is required by Texas Education Code to meet each semester and once during the summer. Agenda items throughout the year include reviewing the district’s Emergency Operating Plan, working with Georgetown Police Department to increase police presence on campus, and providing the district feedback and input on a variety of safety-related items.
The purpose of this August meeting was to update the group on the district’s safety-related summer work and to share information related to HB 3, the Texas school safety bill passed this past June.
Stacie Seveska, GISD’s Director of Operations, facilitated the meeting and began with a review of the committee’s required membership, function, and purpose. Director of Health Services, Mindy Petty, who assists with Emergency Preparedness for the district, assisted Seveska in providing updates on some of the security-related work and training that has been happening throughout the summer, including:
Receipt of a $39,998 grant to fund Silent Panic Alert Technology on our campuses. This technology will allow an emergency alert to be made from any classroom in the school. The alert would notify both school administrators and the Georgetown police department when immediate assistance is needed. Selection of the Silent Panic Alert Technology vendor for the district is currently wrapping up and implementation will begin this Fall.
Planning and applying for the Texas Education Agency’s Safety and Security Grant, which provides nearly $600,000 for required building safety improvements, such as reinforcement film on campus entry vestibule windows and unscalable fencing for campuses, as needed.
Reconvening the district’s Safety Assistant Principals from each campus to review new safety requirements and ensure compliance.
Reviewing the district’s most recent Safety Audit and creating a district Action Plan to address identified needs.
Attending summer safety trainings, including the Texas State School Safety Center Summer Conference, Stadium Safety Training, and Emergency Operating Plan Training.
The committee was also provided with information on House Bill 3, the sweeping school safety legislation just signed into law on June 14, 2023. Executive Director of Student and Campus Services, Heather Stoner, shared highlights of the bill as well as a brief overview of the district’s plan to address several of the new requirements:
School districts are required to furnish student records, including disciplinary records or any threat assessments involving behavior when a student transfers to a new school district Schools must establish a clear procedure for a student to report concerning behavior exhibited by another student for assessment by the team or other appropriate school employee.
School districts must ensure that every district facility complies with each school facilities standard and must document its implementation of and compliance with school safety and security standards.
One of the biggest impacts to safety operations of the school comes from HB 3’s armed security guard requirement. Dr. Stoner specifically asked the committee to provide feedback, questions, considerations, and concerns regarding this portion of the new legislation.
In order to be in compliance by the bill’s effective date, September 1, the board must either hire officers/SROs through the local police department, start their own district police department, or pass a resolution with an alternative plan or timeline of actions that show progress to meet the requirement. While the state does not define what options must be satisfied through the alternative plan, they could include things like:
Hiring armed guards from a private security firm
Hiring district-employed armed guards
Hiring district-employed unarmed safety guards
Utilizing School Marshals
The committee provided clarifying questions regarding this armed-guard requirement, posed insightful perspectives, and provided thoughtful feedback for the district to consider. Using their input, the district began an FAQ for parents to help communicate requirements and timelines regarding HB 3 requirements. You can find those FAQs here.
Information from our meetings, including the August 10 meeting, can be found on our Safety & Security website: https://www.georgetownisd.org/safety.
If parents or community members have additional questions regarding HB 3, we encourage you to submit them to us via Let’s Talk.
