Castleberry ISD Updates Safety Plan and Makes Plans to Hire Two Additional Police Officers

Castleberry ISD Updates Safety Plan and Makes Plans to Hire Two Additional Police Officers
Posted on 06/15/2022
Safety and Security of Students and Staff

With the heightened awareness of safety and security concerns, Castleberry ISD continues to review emergency operation policies and procedures with employees and has added additional safety measures for the PACE Summer program to ensure the safety and security of all students, employees, and visitors.

“Castleberry ISD views safety as a top priority. With the construction and remodel of each campus, enhanced safety measures were put into place. In addition, the district sets aside money each year in the budget to fund school safety enhancements and upgrades,” said Renee Smith-Faulkner, Superintendent. “Specifically, we have installed additional cameras — increasing our total number to nearly 300 cameras districtwide; reduced access points; completed an exhaustive School Safety Plan reviewed and approved by the National School Safety Center, and expanded our comprehensive approach to mental health services with the addition of school social workers, a crisis counselor, and a behavior specialist. The most recent addition to the district-wide safety plan includes hiring two police officers, so all schools, including elementary campuses, are staffed with a full-time officer on campus.”

District Police Department

Castleberry ISD currently has a team of three police officers and one investigative police officer who patrol and monitor each campus throughout the day to ensure all children are safe and protected while at school and at extra-curricular events.

Each of these officers has earned a Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) Peace Officer License and has prior experience working in law enforcement. The district’s Police Department maintains a positive partnership with the City of River Oaks, Sansom Park, and Fort Worth Police Departments to ensure the quickest response when emergencies arise.

Campus Security Monitors

Campus security monitors assist campus administration with maintaining a safe and secure school environment. This includes supervising students in the cafeteria, hallways, restrooms, school grounds, parking lots, athletic facilities, bus loading areas, and more. Each hall monitor is required to complete the Castleberry ISD safety training course to learn de-escalation and defensive tactics.

Since students are often outside participating in activities during the PACE Summer program, the district has hired additional campus monitors to monitor the exterior of the building throughout the day. These security monitors can be found circling the campus on golf carts, or on foot to check for any suspicious activity and ensure exterior doors are locked and not propped open.

Visitor Management System

The campus receptionist utilizes the district's visitor management system, which ensures all visitors to a campus identify their reason for visiting, child’s name/teacher (if applicable), and complete the electronic check in process using their state issued identification (ID).

Locked Doors

All exterior doors, including the main entry, remain locked throughout the day to ensure students and employees are safe. To gain entry to a campus, a visitor must ring a “video doorbell,” and inform the campus receptionist the reason for visiting the campus and their child's name. Once inside the office, the visitor will provide ID and be checked in. District personnel who are approved to be at each campus are provided access with their employee ID.

Castleberry ISD campus and district personnel constantly survey the campuses throughout the day to ensure all exterior doors are securely locked and are not propped open.

Cameras

All buildings are equipped with interior and exterior cameras. These cameras are always recording, and are monitored throughout the day by district and campus security personnel who watch for suspicious people, behavior, and unauthorized access.

Mandatory Safety Drills

Castleberry ISD implements all safety practices and guidelines recommended by the Texas School Safety Center. This includes mandatory safety drills and trainings, an emergency operations plan for all campuses, as well as regular safety and security audits as required by the Texas Education Code.

External Safety Audit

Law enforcement agencies are audited at least once every five years by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. Castleberry ISD Police Department was audited in fall 2021. During this audit, no deficiencies were noted.

Reunification Process

In the event of an emergency, Castleberry ISD has an established procedure for reunification. Parents/Guardians will be notified by school officials and the Castleberry ISD Police Department to their child’s specific location via phone call, text message, and e-mail sent using School Messenger, the district’s mass broadcast message system. During the reunification process, it is important parents remain calm and patient while law enforcement and district officials work to safely release students to parents.

In order to receive notifications from Castleberry ISD in a timely manner, it is important for parents to ensure their contact information in Skyward Family Access is correct. To learn how to update contact information in Skyward Family Access, visit the district’s Contact Preferences webpage.