The KISD board of trustees approved a $3.8 million contract with Flip Lok LLC at the March 31 meeting. While the district already employs several safety protocols—even some implemented prior to state mandates from the 2023 Texas Legislature—the locks would act as further reassurance, KISD Police Chief David Rider said.
“These fliplocks would give an added layer of protection and a visible affirmation to the students and staff that the door was locked and secured and they were behind a locked door,” Rider said.
How it works
KISD already requires doors be locked during instructional time, Rider said. Fliplocks would only activate in the case of a lockdown and wouldn’t be used during normal circumstances.
The lock is installed in the door frame with four-inch screws and is activated by swinging the locking mechanism toward the door and allowing it to drop down into a locked mode, according to the company website.
It works on both inward and outward swinging doors and will egress in one motion away from the door, Rider said.
Zooming out
Trustee Rebecca Fox noted KISD had already incorporated many safety practices, including facility upgrades and protocols, prior to state legislation on school safety.
When House Bill 3 went into effect in 2023, it required all public school districts to meet and address safety needs following the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde. In fiscal year 2023-24, KISD spent almost five times what the state provided the district through HB 3 on safety and security investments, Community Impact reported.
“We were already ahead of the game. We were already doing all these things,” Fox said. “This is another example of something that we're doing that's beyond the basic requirement that we have.”
The funding source
The board also approved a FY 2024-25 budget amendment to account for the Flip Lok purchase and installation, which is funded by savings from KISD's 2023 bond.The bond was passed in November 2023, where voters authorized the use of $806.56 million for facility upgrades and safety projects.
The fund has a total savings of about $20 million from Proposition A, which included funding to construct new schools, renovate campuses, and upgrade safety and security, Chief Financial Officer Christopher Smith said.
Another thing
The board also approved district leaders applying for three cybersecurity grants through the Office of the Governor to address professional development for technology operations teams and evaluations of security networks, Chief Communications Officer Andrea Grooms said at the March 24 work study meeting,
The grant requires a 20% district match from the $66,000 received, which would total about $16,000, Grooms said.
Grooms said district leaders will also apply to the following state-funded grants:
- Criminal Justice Grant Program: $136,000 for upgraded body-worn cameras and $446,000 for radios
- State Crisis Intervention Grant Program: $171,000 for community outreach efforts
- Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program: $164,000 for promoting positive behaviors and school safety
District operations and Flip Lok teams will work together after school hours and on student holidays to install the locks on all classrooms where attendance is taken by August, Rider said.
