Two-minute impact
Heather Stoner, GISD's assistant superintendent of campus and learner supports, said the update on safety protocols in the district comes after a shooting at a Georgia high school in early September may have raised concerns among parents about what their local district has in place for emergency situations.
Stoner said the Texas School Safety Center, which provides safety resources to Texas schools to prevent youth violence, has shared several suggested considerations following the shooting, including but not limited to:
- Creating a behavioral threat assessment team
- Controlling access to school facilities
- Providing anonymous reporting systems
- Practicing drills and exercises
- Using trauma-informed care practices
She said GISD already implements many of the steps recommended by the TSSC, including the first recommendation of creating a behavioral threat assessment team. Created in 2020 to meet state requirements, the team works in collaboration with campus safety assistant principals, counselors, school-based therapists and school resource officers to identify students who are a threat to themselves and others, and intervene accordingly with the goal to help students make better decisions in the future.
"The overall approach is to take a student who's on a possible path to violence and change their pathway," Stoner said.
The team itself is not new, but they do have to fulfill new requirements, she said. Students who have been assessed as threats will have their assessments shared with neighboring districts.
Zooming out
A district-wide support team for students who do not respond to existing support systems in the district was also created last year, she said, and can provide this service at the campus and student level.
GISD has also made a point to teach students how to use the anonymous reporting tools available to them.
"I've experienced that students are really good about reporting things to either a trusted adult, which was always kind of our plan, or through our see something, say something and LetsTalk system," Stoner said.
Stoner's full update on safety protocols within Georgetown ISD is available to watch here.
