In wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14, 2012, a representative with the Forney ISD says the district is discussing their security and safety measures. The district currently has an active shooter plan, along with several other emergency plans, but is looking for any additional improvements or changes that can be made.
In wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14, 2012, a representative with the Forney ISD says the district is discussing their security and safety measures. The district currently has an active shooter plan, along with several other emergency plans, but is looking for any additional improvements or changes that can be made.
The FISD Board of Trustees is set to discuss security and safety options during Executive Session in Monday night's School Board meeting on January 14, 2013. The official agenda states, “Deliberation regarding discussion with district's legal counsel concerning campus security...”
According to Larry Coker, FISD Director of Communications, during an active shooter lockdown, police are notified immediately and all classroom doors are closed and locked. The lights are turned out in the classroom and all the windows are covered. The students and faculty are then instructed to sit on the floor with their back against the wall, away from the door and to remain quiet. Once in lockdown, nobody is allowed to leave their rooms or the campus until police have cleared the building and give the okay for the rooms to be cleared.
One option that Governor Rick Perry along with Texas lawmakers and educators are proposing is that more districts adopt the “Guardian Plan” which allows for a district to vote to allow certain anonymous staff members to carry concealed handguns on campus. Under the Guardian Plan, board members will decide which staff members should carry handguns and be deemed “Guardians”. Guardians would be required to have a Texas concealed handgun license (CHL), would remain anonymous, and could receive an additional annual stipend.
The McKinney and Grand Prairie school districts have recently voted to hire and add additional school resource officers (SRO) to patrol school campuses and many city police departments have committed to additional patrols at schools.
Coker stated that currently the “Forney ISD has a total of five School Resource Officers (SROs) and a Kaufman County Sherriff’s Department Lieutenant that work for the District. Two SROs are housed at each high school and the Kaufman County Lieutenant goes to every elementary and middle school campus throughout the day. Since the events at Sandy Hook, the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department has increased their monitoring of all of the schools in the District. The Forney Police Department is not contracted with the District, but has committed to being first responders to events at campuses located within the city limits.
Coker said, “There are several options that have been discussed, but at this time, no final decisions have been made.” Also, “the Board has not made any decisions regarding allowing FISD staff to carry a concealed handgun on campuses."
inForney.com will report on any information made available after the FISD Executive Session.
