The FISD School Board members heard from Lt. Bishop with the school's School Resource Officer (SRO) program on Monday night, February 4, during the monthly School Board Meeting.
The FISD School Board members heard from Lt. Bishop with the school's School Resource Officer (SRO) program on Monday night, February 4, during the monthly School Board Meeting.
Last month, the Board members met and discussed security after the tragic events that unfolded in Newtown, CT. The FISD School Board members at that time voted unanimously to hire two additional SRO officers for district security. School Board President Keith Bell requested a plan of action for the new officers and a safety and security report.
Dr. Brian Zemlicka, Assistant Superintendent of Operations, began the campus security report by introducing Lieutenant Bishop. Lt. Bishop is the new Lieutenant over the District's SRO program after Lt. Klingelberger recently accepted a promotion to Captain in the Sheriff's Department. Lt. Bishop has more than 30 years in law enforcement and has been with FISD since the beginning of the school year.
SRO Lt. Bishop explained that the main goal of the SRO program is to provide security for the FISD in many different capacities. The program also helps to prevent property loss, theft, and vandalism. Lt. Bishop said the officers become much more than just officers, they become role models and counselors for the students.
With the addition of the two new School Resource Officers, the Forney ISD will now have a total of seven School Resource Officers. According to Lt. Bishop, the two positions could be filled within 7-10 days. The new officers would be deployed to the elementary campuses, one assigned to the campuses on the north of U.S. Highway 80 and the other on the south.
The SRO program is responsible for patrolling the campuses, criminal investigations at FISD, collecting and preserving evidence, obtaining witness and suspect statements, testifying in court, assisting in traffic control, security at FISD events, and working in conjunction with other area local law enforcement offices. The officers also assist the district with truancy issues.
Lt. Bishop said that the SRO program is very involved with the district's safety plan and safety drills and provide training to staff and students throughout the year. Bishop said he would like to look into access control systems like other area school districts have already implemented. Access control systems can provide magnetic locking mechanisms on all exterior doors and also granted access control. In the event of a lockdown, all doors can be automatically locked the the magnetic locking mechanisms. Campus staff can also restrict access to the campus during certain hours with granted access control systems.
According to Superintendent Holland, access control systems are affordable and being discussed. With an estimated $800,000 not being used in a sewer improvement project's bond money, there may be available funds to equip each campus in the district with access control systems, estimated at $1,000-$2,000 per campus. The FISD administration is waiting for an official quote and the project will most likely need to be put out for a bid and also approved by the FISD School Board. Holland says, “It's another way to help protect our staff and students.”
Other programs of interest to Lt. Bishop are the Kaufman County Crime Stoppers, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.), Law Enforcement Training Students (L.E.T.S.), and officer trading cards for the students. Lt. Bishop said, “We want to try to create and harbor a feeling of safety and security as best as we can where everyone feels safe.”
