Findings on Safety and Security in Texas School Districts

The purpose of the statewide audit reports is to provide key results of the safety and security audits completed by Texas school districts, open-enrollment charter schools, and junior colleges. Texas Education Code 37.108(b) requires, at least once every 3 years, each independent school district, open-enrollment charter school, and public junior college to conduct a safety and security audit of the district’s facilities. A district, or a person included in the registry established by the Texas School Safety Center under Section 37.2091 who is engaged by the district to conduct a safety and security audit, shall follow safety and security audit procedures developed by the Texas School Safety Center. A summary of the findings is then submitted to the TxSSC and incorporated as aggregate data into a statewide report for the public [Texas Education Code 37.108(c) and Texas Education Code 37.207(a)(3)].

The TxSSC develops the DAR from the aggregated data of submission of all school districts in Texas. The JCAR or Junior College Audit Report is a similar aggregate reporting of results collected through the safety and security audit submission of Texas junior college districts. The CAR or Charter Audit Report is an aggregated report of results collected through the safety and security audit submission of Texas open-enrollment charter schools.

The model safety and security audit procedures developed by the TxSSC are intended for use by districts to conduct a “self-assessment” of safety and security in their facilities. Currently, neither the TEC nor administrative rules require that school district personnel conducting their safety and security audits hold a specific certification. Districts are encouraged to utilize their own personnel from various disciplines and include a cross-functional group of school personnel and collaborative community partners (e.g. local first responders).

While the term “audit” is included in TEC 37.108 and used throughout the DAR, CAR, and JCAR for consistency, the process was developed as an ongoing self-assessment of a district’s safety and security. Audits should be an ongoing process of identifying specific district, campus, or facility hazards, threats, and vulnerabilities and making improvements in safety and security plans and processes.

Please click the link below to view the past DAR reports.