Page 6 - Campus Security Today, September/October 2024

CAMPUS VIEWPOINT
TEXAS STANDARDIZES SCHOOL SECURITY PROCEDURES
BY BRENT DIRKS
E verything is bigger in Texas, including the number of school districts. There are more than 1,200 public school districts in the state. And with back-to-school sea- son here, the safety and security of students, faculty, and staff is a top concern.
With such a large state and different types of districts, school security processes are often much different. One district might have a very different school security approach then a district across the state.
In late July, the Texas Education Agency unveiled a new system—Sentinel—designed to help districts collect, process, store, and distribute school safety and security information. One of the most important features of Sentinel includes the standardization of Behavioral Threat Assessments. As most anyone involved in school security knows, those assessments are an important tool to help understand if someone who could possibly
pose a threat to school.
Those are now in a single reporting mechanism so schools have a much clearer
path the conducting assessments and managing threats.
The system also provides information about school safety initiatives required by
the state including intruder detection audits, district vulnerability assessments, and emergency management.
Other parts of Sentinel includes data integration along with tools and resources for district safety/security officials.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024
With a mass communication capability, schools throughout the state will be informed of a local or statewide emergency.
Securing schools takes time and effort from dedicated professionals across the state of Texas. Sentinel should help provide more knowledge and communication in the fast-changing world of school security
Brent Dirks bdirks@1105media.com
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