Tools to Assist LEAs

• • Summer Targeted Partial Safety Audit Tool - This tool is a limited scope version of the TxSSC School Safety and Security Audit tool, including about 50 questions to be considered for each LEA instructional facility. The tool also includes an optional companion guide to help guide reflections and considerations as LEAs audit the effectiveness of their approach to school safety.

  • Exterior Door Safety Audit Tracker Tool - LEAs must inspect every exterior door of each of their instructional facilities. This tool has been designed to establish a short checklist for each door, to verify it is functioning as intended for minimum security, or determine if it is in need of maintenance. LEAs can begin taking steps immediately to remedy any issues found.

  • TEA School Safety Resource website has access to -

    • Exterior Door Safety Audit

      • Campus-level Exterior Door Safety Audit Tracker (Excel) Updated June 30, 2022

      • District-level Exterior Door Safety Audit Tracker (Excel) Updated June 30, 2022

    • Summer Audit

      • Summer Targeted Partial Safety Audit (Excel) Updated June 30, 2022

      • Summer Safety Audit Webinar Recording (Video) Updated July 14, 2022

      • Summer Safety Audit Webinar Deck (PDF) Updated July 14, 2022

Reporting Results (also covered in Step 7)

• LEAs are required to respond to a survey issued by TxSSC to certify each of the above items have been completed by September 1, 2022. To ensure clarity of expectations, it is highly encouraged for LEAs to review this document to see each of the survey questions they will be asked. The survey responses will be due no later than September 9, 2022. TxSSC Letter to Superintendents.

• The Texas School Safety Center sent an email on August 16, 2022, to the Superintendent and Safety Contact listed in ASKTed. It contained an individual link to a Qualtric Survey for the district to complete by September 9, 2022. If your district did not receive this link or needs assistance with the survey contact the TxSSC at txssc-ir@txstate.edu

Important Note

• The Summer Targeted Partial Safety Audit and Exterior Door Safety Audit, DOES NOT replace the comprehensive safety and security audits required once every 3 years. Each LEA should continue to conduct a full safety audit locally as planned.

Meeting Action Steps

• • Ensure the committee meeting happens prior to the school year.

• Record membership, date, and time of the meeting.

• Review any campus safety needs.

• The Summer Targeted Partial Safety Audit results and the Exterior Door Safety Audit shall be reviewed by each school's Safety and Security Committee, and can be reviewed in executive session. Audit Results are not subject to disclosure under Ch. 552, Government Code, pursuant to TEC, Sections 37.108, 37.2071, and other relevant statutory provisions. This disclosure exception continues to apply when this information is shared with TEA and TxSSC. Neither TEA nor TxSSC will publicly disclose any individual LEA information found in these data but will only provide aggregate state-level data summaries.

• Review Emergency Operations Plan.

• Review Active Threat Plan and include district actions for all five phases of emergency management (TEC 37.108) and address portable buildings (TEC 37.108 (3)).

The Texas School Safety Center sent an email on August 15, 2022, to the Superintendent and Safety Contact listed in ASKTed. It contained an individual link to a Qualtric Survey for the district to complete by September 9, 2022. If your district did not receive this link or needs assistance with the survey contact the TxSSC at txssc-ir@txstate.edu

Resources

• School Safety and Security Committee Guidelines and FAQ

• EOP Basic Plan Toolkit

• Active Threat Toolkit

• Best Practices for Safety in Portable Buildings

• Train all staff and substitutes on district and campus-specific safety procedures prior to the start of the next school year.

• Schedule drills before the start of the school year.

Resources

• Training, Drilling and Exercising Toolkit

• Standard Response Protocol Toolkit

• Drill Guidance for School District Administrators

Frequency

• • The number of mandatory school drills to be conducted each semester of the school year is not to exceed eight drills each semester and sixteen drills for the entire school year. LEAs may conduct more drills as deemed necessary and appropriate.

  • Districts should consult with their local fire marshal and comply with their local fire marshal's requirements and recommendations. For local authorities that have not adopted a fire code, schools must follow these requirements: School Fire Exit Drill Information (Texas.gov)

Minimum Drill Requirements

• • • Secure Drill: 1 per school year

    • Lockdown Drill: 2 per school year (one per semester).

    • Evacuation Drill: 1 per school year

    • Shelter-in-Place for Hazmat Drill: 1 per school year

    • Shelter for Severe Weather Drill: 1 per school year

    • Fire Evacuation Drill:

      • School districts and open-enrollment charter schools should consult with their local fire marshal

      • Comply with their local fire marshal’s requirements and recommendations.

      • If a district does not have a local fire marshal, it shall conduct four per school year (two per semester)

TxSSC Resources

• • • • Forms, Definitions and Drill FAQ

      • Training, Drilling, and Exercising Toolkit

      • Standard Response Protocol Toolkit

      • Drill Guidance for School District Administrators

• Team members are part of the multi-disciplinary Safe and Supportive School Program Team. One of the duties of the SSSP Team is to conduct Threat Assessments.

• Ensure all team members are trained in Behavioral Threat Assessment. Each district should monitor its team membership regularly and quickly replace and train required expertise as needed. Districts should develop a system to ensure all stakeholders receive training on a continual basis. The use of tabletop exercises can be a helpful way for teams to evaluate their preparedness for a particular situation. To obtain training, please consult with one of the following:

• • • Educational Service Center - contact your regional ESC

    • Texas School Safety Center (SIGMA)

Resources

• TEA Safe and Supportive Schools Program Team Website

• TIVA Part A SSSP Program Website

• School Behavioral Threat Assessment Training

• Operationalizing School Behavioral Threat Assessment FAQ

• Model Policies and Procedures to Establish and Train on Threat Assessment

• Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Toolkit

• Behavioral Threat Assessment Online Course

Steps

• Review visitor check-in procedures.

• Assess the access control procedures regarding single access points, locked instruction room doors, and exterior door locks. Consult audit tools listed in Section 1 above. Completion required by September 1, 2022.

• For the new school year 2022-2023, access control procedures must include exterior door sweeps (ensuring doors are closed and locked) at every instructional facility at least once each week while instruction is being conducted. TEA will be releasing a guidance document before the start of school.

Resources

• Proposed - NEW Facilities Standards, coming soon

• School Facilities Standards for Construction on or after November 1, 2021 (TEA) Please note that you will need to scroll to end of the document and review Section (k) that pertains to safety and security standards and addresses access control, exterior door numbering, and visitor management.

• TEA School Safety Resources Safe Website

Reporting - this reporting information was also covered in the step 1 above. However, we want to emphasize districts need to be aware that all activities have to be reported to Texas School Safety Center during a September 1-9, 2022 window.

TEA To the Administrator Addressed letter sent June 30, 2022:

Under authority of Texas Education Code (TEC), Section 37.207, LEAs are required to respond to a survey issued by TxSSC to certify each of the above items have been completed by September 1, 2022. To ensure clarity of expectations, LEAs can review this document to see each of the survey questions that will be asked. The survey will be open no later than September 1, 2022, and responses will be due no later than September 9, 2022.

The Texas School Safety Center sent an email on August 16, 2022, to the Superintendent and Safety Contact listed in ASKTed. It contained an individual link to a Qualtric Survey for the district to complete by September 9, 2022. If your district did not receive this link or needs assistance with the survey contact the TxSSC at txssc-ir@txstate.edu

As part of the action to improve campus safety around the state, all LEAs are required to conduct frequent and regular exterior door sweeps, beginning the first week students return to campus. The goal of these regular and frequent inspection sweeps of external doors is to identify and remedy vulnerabilities to the safety and security of the LEA's facilities by ensuring that all exterior doors close, latch, and lock. Currently, there are no requirements for interior doors to be locked. However, processes and drills should be in place so that all staff are aware of how to secure classrooms.

Each LEA should have one workbook with a complete set of weekly log sheets. The log is to be done by a district designee. This record should be stored and follow the LEA's record retention policy. During the 22-23 SY random Intruder Detection Audits will be occurring. During the audit, the inspector will ask for the campus administrator for documentation verifying weekly exterior door sweeps. All campuses must be able to show documentation that weekly exterior door sweeps are taking place at that campus. Any door that opens to the exterior and allows entry or egress in an instructional facility, including doors behind a fenced area, should be checked weekly.

Resources- The tools are designed to help create an effective internal monitoring system for LEAs, giving visibility both to campus leaders and district leaders on how well instructional facility doors remain closed and locked. These tools are intended to be optional, and TEA continues to gather information from individual LEAs on their approach to managing access control, in an effort to share best practices across the state.

• TEA School Safety Resource website has access to

  • Weekly Exterior Door Sweeps Webinar Recording and PDF

  • Campus-Level Weekly Exterior Door Sweep Tool (Excel) Updated August 18, 2022

  • District-Level Weekly Exterior Door Sweep Tool (Excel) Updated July 21, 2022