The Los Fresnos school district has unveiled a school security and district police expansion program for the 2022-2023 school year to make all LFCISD school campuses more secure by having Los Fresnos CISD police officers present at each campus. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)
By GARY LONG
STAFF WRITER
In a school security upgrade, the Los Fresnos Consolidated Independent School District will double its police force and post armed certified police officers at each of the district’s 14 campuses, including nine elementary schools, beginning with the 2022-2023 school year.
Previously, armed certified officers were assigned only to the district’s three middle schools and two high schools, with officers moving among the elementary school campuses in patrol units, LFCISD Police Chief Joe Vasquez said Wednesday.
The LFCISD Board of Trustees and Superintendent Gonzalo Salazar unanimously approved the upgrade at a recent school board meeting. Vasquez said he is in the process of hiring the new officers and hopes to have them in place when the new school year starts Aug. 15. The district is also preparing signage for the campuses to inform the public of the officers’ presence.
“In goal one of our district goals we have made a commitment to maintain a safe and positive school environment where students, parents, employees, and community members are welcome and engaged. These enhanced security measures are perfectly aligned with this goal and in line with lessons learned from the tragedy in Uvalde,” Salazar said in a text from Round Rock, where he is participating in the Texas Association of School Administrators’ Summer Conference as the association’s incoming president.
Jimmy Mcdonough, LFCISD’s executive director of academics, said the security upgrade being implemented this summer in the interest of the district’s students and stakeholders.
“It is adding over $400,000 in salary costs, it’s going to be recurring, but our board was unanimous in support of this, and they felt, ‘no we need to do this,’ and so we’re going to add nine new officers so we’ll have 18 total officers on the force, including at each elementary,” he said.
The district has had a police and security department since 2004. McDonough said security procedures, from lockdowns to fire drills to active shooter drills and security audits, follow guidance from the Texas School Safety Center at Texas State University in San Marcos.
Over the years, school security has advanced. One result is a network of security cameras that monitors every campus, inside and out, 24/7. State law prohibits having security cameras in classrooms.
District police and administrators have access to the cameras. There are also cameras in certain special education classrooms. “They’re in hallways, they’re outside, we’ve got them everywhere and we’re constantly updating that,” McDonough said.
Every school has gates and security fencing, including around playground areas, and only one entrance. School personnel monitor a video/intercom system and automated door locks to make sure only people with legitimate school business are allowed to enter.
Once inside a visitor must surrender a valid ID and is given a Raptor badge identifying them to wear while on campus, McDonough said. The district utilizes a Raptor system to control access at the campuses, screen visitors and communicate with parents via a messenger app and/or email.
The security upgrade being rolled out this summer will include installation of door alarms on any doors besides the main entrance that have access to outside the campus, which will sound at up to 80 decibels if a door is propped open for more than 60 seconds.
Also, every campus will be equipped with secure emergency gate and door access. Secure boxes with a set of master keys to campus buildings will be available to first responders in case of an emergency.
McDonough said the two measures are in response to Uvalde, where reportedly a propped-open door gave the shooter accesss to the campus.
The security upgrade is explained via a link on the district’s and each school’s web page, where bullying can be reported anonymously and there is a new “Report a Threat” button.
McDonough put together a Power Point presentation about the security upgrade with a voice over explaining important points. It went out on social media and to parents on their phones.
