Sept. 12, 2024
Dear Parent/Guardian,
It seems like each new school year begins with its own challenges. Sometimes, it’s an issue with the air conditioning or a loss of utilities. Other times, it’s a larger problem like a pandemic or a hurricane.
Overall, this school year has been different. We haven’t had any large problems or issues. On the other hand, we’ve seen a change that is just as challenging as anything we’ve faced in the past, and it involves school security.
School started exactly one month ago, yet we’ve already had numerous reports of threats and rumors. Of course, we always encourage students and others to report suspicious behavior. But more than once, the threat turned out to be another case of a child making an ill-conceived joke that resulted in serious disciplinary action.
The trend continued through today. The Deepwater-area schools received calls and messages from parents who were concerned about a reported threat, which resulted in rumors. The incident appeared to be partly caused by someone re-posting an old threat that originated in another state. Thankfully, police investigated the situation, and it appears that none of the threats or rumors were credible.
Last week, in light of the tragic school shooting in Georgia, I sent parents a brief message that included links to counseling and safety resources. (You can read it in the LATEST NEWS section at http://www.dpisd.org.) Today, I want to follow up with some additional reminders about recent improvements to our safety program:
- SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS: Thanks to an outstanding funding commitment on the part of our School Board, each of our schools has its own School Resource Officer. Due to their size, the high school campuses have multiple SROs. These trained police officers help keep our schools safe.
- ELEMENTARY SAFETY VESTIBULES: Thanks to your support of our 2022 DPISD Bond Election, we are nearly finished with an important addition to several of our schools: safety vestibules. These secure entrance lobbies provide an extra layer of security at the main entrance.
- RAPTOR ALERT SYSTEM: This system is a Silent Panic Alert Technology that enables staff to communicate silently with administrators and SROs during an intruder or emergency event.
- SAFETY AUDITS/DRILLS: Each of our schools perform routine safety audits and drills. We review our safety procedures and check external doors and other parts of our facilities to confirm that everything is in working order.
- SHATTER RESISTANT GLASS/FILM: Shatter-resistant film is being added to glass surfaces at all of our schools.
- Additional information is available at http://www.dpisd.org/safety/.
All of these efforts are part of a never-ending plan to improve security. We will never stop looking for ways to improve safety, because the best instructional program in the state can’t succeed if students and employees don’t feel safe.
Of course, nothing can take the place of good, old-fashioned conversations. If you haven’t already done so, I hope you’ll sit down with your child for a serious talk about safety. Remind your student about the importance of paying attention to his or her surroundings and of reporting suspicious behavior. But just as important, tell your child to be careful not to spread rumors or false information, particularly about school safety. Threats are never a joking matter, and threatening the school or fellow students or teachers will always result in serious disciplinary action.
If the safety efforts mentioned in this letter or on our website don’t answer your questions, I hope you’ll contact your child’s school office or call our Safety Office at 832.668.7070. If you are able, I encourage you to visit your child’s school and see our safety plans in action.
Regards,
Stephen Harrell
Superintendent of Schools