TERRELL, Texas —Terrell Independent School District (ISD) Superintendent Michael French, yesterday, issued a letter to the community in regard to school safety in the days following an arrest of a student in possession of an unloaded firearm at Terrell High School.
TERRELL, Texas —Terrell Independent School District (ISD) Superintendent Michael French, yesterday, issued a letter to the community in regard to school safety in the days following an arrest of a student in possession of an unloaded firearm at Terrell High School.
"There’s no doubt that tensions and emotions are at an all-time high due to violence that has impacted schools across our country," French stated, in part. "I want to assure parents that we hear the concern in your voices and in the messages you send us, and we are listening."
After Monday's arrest of a Terrell High School student found to be in possession of an unloaded firearm, French says rumors Tuesday of school violence highly disrupted the learning environment.
"...We have zero tolerance for this type of behavior," he said.
"The truth is that every school day the vast majority of our students make good decisions, treat each other with respect, and come to school ready to learn," he stated. "I hope you will not let the unfortunate actions of a very small number of students overshadow the fact that we have incredibly smart, honest, caring, and hardworking students in our school district."
French went on to address the ditrict's police department's training, procedures taken in the event of an emergency situation, and called on the community to make a positive impact in their student's lives.
"Everyone has an opportunity to teach a child about love and respect," he stated. "Everyone has an opportunity to teach a child the difference between right and wrong. Everyone has the opportunity to teach a child about making good decisions."
"Everyone has an opportunity to positively impact the youth in our community."
Read French's complete letter below:
"Dear Tiger Family,
There’s no doubt that tensions and emotions are at an all-time high due to violence that has impacted schools across our country. Parents and educators fear for the safety of our students every day, and rightfully so. This heightened sense of unease sometimes impacts our children more than we realize. It is difficult to shield our youth from the abundance of information shared online and on TV. I want to assure parents that we hear the concern in your voices and in the messages you send us, and we are listening.
This week has been especially challenging for Terrell ISD students, parents, and staff. On Monday, a Terrell High School student brought an unloaded weapon to school. Terrell ISD Police confiscated the weapon and arrested the student. On Tuesday, rumors were swirling at THS about a student making an alleged threat to student safety. Situations like this are highly disruptive to our learning environment, and we have zero tolerance for this type of behavior.
The truth is that every school day the vast majority of our students make good decisions, treat each other with respect, and come to school ready to learn. I hope you will not let the unfortunate actions of a very small number of students overshadow the fact that we have incredibly smart, honest, caring, and hardworking students in our school district.
We have a team of six highly trained and experienced police officers who protect our schools every day. In addition to state law enforcement training requirements, our officers also participate in advanced and relevant training opportunities. This includes, but is not limited to, active shooter training, crisis intervention training, advanced child abuse certifications, mental health certifications, and annual attendance at the National School Safety Symposium. Furthermore, our police department and District Safety Committee meets at least quarterly with campus and department representatives, as well as representatives from the Kaufman County Office of Emergency Management, Terrell Police Department, Terrell Fire Department, and Gold Star Transportation.
Terrell ISD police also work with trained canine units to regularly conduct unannounced and random searches for weapons and narcotics. Additionally, we have electronic monitoring at all campuses which includes more than 500 cameras throughout the school district. All campuses are also equipped with secure entrances that prevent unauthorized access. We work closely with the Terrell Police Department and other law enforcement agencies when necessary. However, it’s not just our officers who are trained to handle emergencies. Our students and staff are required to participate in regularly scheduled safety drills ranging from lock downs to evacuations.
In emergency situations or when students are in immediate danger, we do everything we can to share accurate information as quickly as possible with parents via phone calls, text messages, emails, letters, and/or posts on social media and our website. Our priority is student and staff safety first, and communication second. If an event impacts the course of a school day, we will communicate this information with parents. There are many factors we consider in making these difficult decisions, and we understand that not everyone will agree with every decision that is made. What we can ensure, is that when we know for a fact that our students and staff are in immediate danger, you will know. We are willing and open to working with the media - they are not our enemy. Good or bad, they are our allies when it comes to sharing important information with our parents and community.
Social media makes it very easy for people to hide behind their profiles and make threatening comments and disparaging remarks. This is not ok. While we can monitor student cell phone use in our classrooms, we cannot control every post that is made during passing periods or when students are at home. We encourage parents to closely monitor what apps their children are using and what they are posting on social media. There are numerous online tools and resources parents can use to restrict what their children can access on his/her cell phone. Furthermore, we encourage parents to be aware of what their child brings to school. Please take this opportunity to talk to your children about the serious ramifications of bringing a prohibited item of any kind on school property. We also urge students to report any suspicious activity to a teacher, school administrator, or campus police officer.
We are in the business of educating children, but our role as educators has expanded far beyond the lessons we teach in reading, writing, science, math, and history. We are called upon to be mentors, counselors, and protectors. We wholeheartedly accept this challenge. However, we need your help. We need help from our parents, guardians, aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, sisters, brothers, friends, pastors, coaches, volunteers, and community leaders. Everyone has an opportunity to teach a child about love and respect. Everyone has an opportunity to teach a child the difference between right and wrong. Everyone has the opportunity to teach a child about making good decisions. Everyone has an opportunity to positively impact the youth in our community.
Sincerely,
Micheal French TISD Superintendent"
