TxSSC
School Safety Spotlight Program
Overview of Recipients
- indicates an overall recipient for fiscal year.
Handle with Care Collaborative Community Partners, Mission CISD
Collaborative Community Partnerships
Mission CISD is a partner in a new initiative, Handle with Care, which aims to support children who have experienced traumatic events by allowing direct communication between police departments and schools. This collaborative community partnership initiated by the University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley and the Hidalgo County Mental Health Coalition includes various law enforcement agencies and 45 cities and their respective school districts.
When a child has been identified at the scene of a traumatic event, Handle with Care sends the school an email that simply says, “Handle Johnny with care.” Without disclosing personal information, Handle with Care alerts school staff and the Mission CISD Mental Health Counseling Program to be attentive to the student’s needs.
Mission CISD responds to the trauma and provides onsite mental health services at schools. The district has generated an at-risk assessment system protocol that any school counselor can use to identify a student’s mental health needs and facilitate supports which may include individual counseling, crisis intervention, group therapy, Mental Health Moments videos which provide quick and easy access for students and parents to helpful information, and Mission CISD’s mindfulness program – Inner Explorer.
“Handle with Care aims to help support children who have experienced traumatic events by allowing direct communication between police departments and school districts. It’s very individualized, but you can have behavioral problems, you can have kids being distracted, kids reliving the traumatic experience, and of course, a traumatic experience is very personal.”
Alice Jordan, Garland ISD
Outstanding Individual Service
Alice Jordan is the glue that holds together Garland ISD’s Security Department. During her eight-year tenure as office manager, administrative assistant, and resident school safety professional, Mrs. Jordan has provided a high degree of insight through her planning, researching, recommending, and executing more streamlined, sustainable, and commonsense methods of operation including improving lockdown drills and redesigning the 24/7 security dispatch center.
She is in constant contact with police lieutenants, school resource officers, city officials, staff, and students. She singlehandedly coordinates and schedules police and security officers for thousands of events each school year. She provides a high degree of insight and knowledge – always asking crucial questions that improve day-to-day operations. Her community partnerships have taken the department to the next level regarding training with SWAT teams and the Department of Defense.
She communicates to all stakeholders: parents, students, teachers, principals, community members, law enforcement, and others. She troubleshoots and communicates with all 71 campuses to identify and address problems. Mrs. Jordan’s natural inclination toward problem-solving and using evidence-based practices daily reduces risks in Garland ISD.
“Students learn when they feel safe. A safe environment is created with technology, such as cameras, access control, door alarms, and radio contact. Student training on fire drills, lockdowns, and shelter for weather reinforces with the students how to respond in an emergency. Standard Response Protocol training and tabletops prepare our staff to keep students safe in emergencies. Garland ISD has a strong Security Department and SRO program, along with an outstanding dispatch center that provides technology and training. Students in Garland ISD are safe, and I am proud of being a part of their safety.”
Kimberly Parker and Lauren Bean, Jasper ISD
Positive Climate and Prevention Programs
In response to a high number of disciplinary removals, particularly for African American special education students, Jasper ISD Special Education Director, Kimberly Parker, along with behavior specialist, Lauren Bean, worked with a representative from the Jasper County Juvenile Justice System, Mr. Clark, to create the Character-Attitude-Pride (CAP) Club as tier three of their multi-tiered system of support. The collaborative, holistic approach provides early intervention with students to prevent future involvement with the juvenile justice system.
A behavioral screener is completed on each student that participates in the CAP Club. The behaviors monitored include, but are not limited to, hyperactivity, aggression, self-injury, temper tantrums, destroying property, and stealing. Biweekly CAP Club meetings focus on targeted behaviors, and a collaboration with Champion Oaks Ranch provides equine therapy. The program culminates in a summer camp where students experience equine therapy, fishing, cooking, crafts, social-emotional learning activities, and alcohol and drug awareness sessions. Secondary students also attend sessions on resume building and interview skills.
The district has seen a decrease in the targeted behaviors for the majority of students who have participated in CAP Club as well as an increase in both core subject averages and attendance rates. Disciplinary referrals resulting in a removal have decreased for all students in Jasper ISD. CAP Club also encourages family participation throughout the year. Families learning together reinforce the behavioral strategies and expectations being taught to students. You can hear Kimberly Parker and Lauren Bean discussing the CAP Club program on the podcast SPEDTalk with Pam and John.
"Our mission is to help students understand their past, guide them to acquire and use tools to navigate their present, and instill hope and assist them in charting a pathway for their future."
David Wilson and the High Five for Safety Program, Celina ISD
Staff Development and Training
In an effort to remind students and staff to ensure that doors are always secured properly, Celina ISD hosted a poster contest at the elementary level. Celina ISD Coordinator of Administrative Services, David Wilson, then took the winning poster, High Five for Safety, and collaborated with the high school student audiovisual group to produce a safety video to go with the poster. The posters are placed on every exterior campus door in the district, and the video has been used to start training students and staff to always check doors when passing them.
The program teaches students from pre-K that safety is everyone's responsibility. The program encourages students to give the doors a push randomly as they pass one. If a student finds a door that is not secure, they are to immediately tell an adult. The hope is with more people checking the mechanism, the less likely a failed mechanism will be missed for any length of time. The goal is that by building this culture into the young students, it will be automatic by the time they are in the higher grades.
“It is with tremendous pride that I get to work in a place that values the safety and security of our students and staff. Our Celina ISD family has made great strides in prioritizing the importance of keeping everyone safe. High Five For Safety is a program that not only describes in detail the importance of ensuring the security of our external doors but also incorporates a learning aspect of what we are trying to accomplish. The goal is to make this part of the students’ and staff's everyday practice. Safety is everyone's responsibility, and everyone has a vested interest in making Celina ISD the safest district we can possibly be. Additionally, the video and poster that we use were created by students which only strengthens the message that in Celina, we all work together for a common goal.”
Community Keepers Student Leadership Program, Plano ISD
Student-Led Groups or Programs
Community Keepers Student Leadership Program in Plano ISD trains student leaders in restorative approaches, skills, and attitudes necessary to resolve conflict constructively in their lives at home, in school, at work, and in the community. The main focus of the program is to transform student bystanders into "Upstanders."
Community Keepers are trained by staff members of the Plano ISD Family and Social Services Department and collaborate with PALs (Peer Assistance Leaders). The Community Keepers empower other students to learn ways to resolve conflicts and disputes and brainstorm ways to “make things right” to create a stronger and safer school community. They become Restorative Thinking Partners, which is someone who has been trained in restorative practices and available to assist peers to THINK through individual situations RESTORATIVELY prior to taking action. Equipping student leaders with the restorative skills to identify potential safety situations, respond effectively, and refer students to trusted adults actively creates a safer learning environment.
"The Plano ISD Community Keeper and Peer Assistance and Leadership (PAL) programs prepare secondary students to become mentors and peer leaders in their schools and communities. The programs provide students with the necessary training to help them develop leadership and communication skills, become more self-confident, and learn how to work effectively with others. Both programs also encourage students to participate in community service projects. With a three-part series training, students develop a sense of responsibility towards their communities and peer groups. As the coordinator, I am truly honored and privileged to work in collaboration with Ms. Abdelghani and her Community Keeper students to continue to aide in creating safe and supportive Plano school communities."
“The Community Keepers group started as an idea over five years ago. The students and their passion to lead and support others were the reason that it kept going strong. The support of the Family and Social Services Department and of the campus facilitated provided the growth and learning opportunities for this group of future leaders. Over the years they have been supporting other students and leading by example of how to be an upstander. They have supported students by helping them find a trusted adult on campus when they need to talk. Growing a different group of Community Keepers each year provides a wide range of young leaders who have been trained in restorative practices, leadership skills, community projects, and social skills. I am honored to be working with this group and growing with them.”
Laurie Christensen, Harris County Fire Marshal
Collaborative Community Partnerships
Laurie Christensen is the fire marshal for Harris County. She is an accredited Fire Marshal, a Certified Fire Protection Specialist, a Master Peace Officer, and a Master Firefighter. She has more than 25 years of experience in emergency response, and she loves to gather people to discuss best practices for improving school safety.
Recently she served on Harris County’s first-ever Safe Schools Commission to develop a standard level of care relating to school safety. She guided a student, teacher, parent, ISD board member, and an ISD superintendent as they worked together to create recommendations to address challenges in schools in the Harris County area.
She recently helped host law enforcement summits with more than 50 agencies to facilitate an open discussion about issues such as how to improve school safety and the need for a common mutual aid channel between fire, EMS, and law enforcement in an active shooter event or other emergency.
“The Harris County Safe Schools Commission, proposed by Commissioner Tom Ramsey, brought together partners from education, law enforcement, fire service, parents, elected officials, and students in the goal of compiling recommendations on how Harris County could support all 25 independent school districts, charter, and private schools with their strategies for the 2022-2023 school year. The support of Harris County Commissioners Court allowed the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office to be a resource that brought partners together and have hard conversations about current and future school safety practices. I believe that ensuring a safe community is about building relationships, communicating thoughts and opinions, listening to each other, and staying on task with the mission. Through this committee of partners, not only did collaboration occur within the process, it also expanded to multiple partner groups outside the commission who now are engaging in a unified discussion of overall emergency planning for long-term solutions. I am honored to be a part of this Commission and look forward to continued progress in ensuring educational facilities as a whole remain in the forefront, One Mission, One Goal, A Safer Harris County.”
Sarita Hernandez, Stockdale ISD
Outstanding Individual Service
Sarita Hernandez is a parent volunteer at Stockdale ISD who plays a key role in supporting safety and security practices in the district. Mrs. Hernandez is a leader in promoting the Brahma Watch Volunteer Group, a group of off-duty and retired first responders who check exterior and interior doors to ensure they close correctly and are locked and watch perimeters to ensure that individuals on campuses are authorized to be there.
Mrs. Hernandez is a retired Wilson County Sherriff's Office Dispatch who has carried her skills and observations over to the arena of school safety. As a member of the Stockdale ISD Safety and Security Committee, Mrs. Hernandez has made suggestions that moved the district to adopt commonly programmed radios that can be used throughout the district, allow first responders access to the district camera system, and implemented a plan for a donation-based security measure that would funnel guests through main entry points with decorative fencing and gates to help protect the interior of campuses. She spends many hours on-site interacting with students, ensuring student safety, and serving as an extra set of eyes on Stockdale ISD campuses.
“Spending time with amazing volunteers, children, and educators of our community gives me hope in the future of tomorrow. Our kids are going to great places, and I want to ensure their education, their space, and time along with building their future is protected and secure.”
United Families Intervene and Redirect Students Together (U FIRST),
United ISD
Positive Climate and Prevention Programs
The U FIRST program gives a new approach to educating students placed in the disciplinary alternative education program (DAEP). Students placed in DAEP are screened and if they meet
U FIRST program criteria, they are offered the opportunity to participate in the program.
Administrators, the student, and parents agree to an alternative form of corrective action where the student attends one-third of their DAEP placement term and then returns to the home campus. The student completes the rest of the DAEP term by attending a variety of U FIRST activities such as parent and student awareness sessions; a parent and student retreat via the R.O.P.E.S. Outdoor Challenge Course; and a self-reflection activity that helps students develop a new gameplan to improve decision-making skills. In addition, the evidence-based Why Try curriculum teaches students life skills such as improved decision-making, dealing with peer pressure, impulse control, obeying laws and rules, valuing hard work, plugging in to support systems, and having a future vision.
U FIRST strives to further enhance students' and parents' decision-making skills and to encourage collaboration and form a strong partnership with students and parents with United ISD personnel.
"Since 2011 many students and families have been helped via the U FIRST program and I am extremely thankful to everyone who makes this program a success. United ISD has great initiatives because of its caring and supportive staff, administrators, and Board of Trustees.”
Dr. Tamy Smalskas, Carroll ISD
Staff Development and Training
When Dr. Tamy Smalskas joined Carroll ISD as Executive Director of Policy and Student Services in May of 2022, she put a new, microscopic eye on the safety and security of the district. From physical safety to emotional safety, she swiftly implemented processes, policies, and procedures to protect students and staff.
She delivered a robust professional development series for all campus and district leadership that addressed injury and incident reporting; David's Law reporting with an anonymous app; bullying, harassment, and discrimination; documentation; the Standard Response Protocol; CRASE (Civilian Response to Active Shooter Event); and access control.
She also created toolkits for principals to use on campus to train teachers, staff, and students. She has reached out to parents through PTO meetings and other community members through video updates. Bus drivers and operations staff are also trained.
She is committed to research-based best practices and works closely with local law enforcement and SROs to align training and protocols. She has had a significant impact on safety and security in Carroll ISD.
“It is a great honor to be involved with a tremendous team that prioritizes the physical safety and security of all Dragons in Carroll ISD on a daily basis. I look forward each day leading the work that creates systems, structures, and procedures to keep all Dragons safe. This includes robust systems and procedures to assist our campus administrators in completing thorough investigations regarding bullying, harassment, and discrimination. Additionally, we have enhanced physical safety aspects of our buildings from daily door audits, monitored drills, and anonymous reporting. One of the most important aspects of why I love working in Carroll ISD is the strong partnership with the City of Southlake and our SRO program.”
Cypress-Woods High School Wildcat Mental Health Alliance (WMHA),
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD
Student-Led Groups or Programs
The Cypress-Woods High School Wildcat Mental Health Alliance (WMHA) is a student-led group with the goals showing support for, shedding light on, and starting positive open conversations surrounding mental health.
The WMHA planned and helped host the first annual "Walk For A Tomorrow," a candlelight walk on the Cy-Woods campus with the purpose of spreading awareness and support for suicide prevention and mental health. The walk raised funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Cy-Hope Counseling Center (specifically for scholarships for students to receive counseling services).
The event highlighted the importance of early intervention and seeking help for mental health concerns and provided a platform for students, staff, families, and community members to talk directly and freely about mental health and encourage others to do the same.
“I’m proud that the Wildcat Mental Health Alliance has made active steps in our school to de-stigmatize mental health by hosting monthly meetings and having a community wide walk for mental health and suicide prevention awareness. I enjoy the openness and community that the WMHA has built, and that we can have a good time together.”
“The Wildcat Mental Health Alliance has given me the opportunity to collaborate with other students about mental health topics, allowing for better ideas to be formed around those topics. Being an active part of the WMHA has given me numerous opportunities to share about the importance of mental health and breaking the stigmas surrounding it.”
“During my freshman year, six high schoolers came together with the goal of ending the stigma surrounding mental health in our school. It was overwhelming and seemed almost impossible, but here we are now; I never thought I would actually make a difference, but the WMHA has made it possible.”
“The WMHA has given me a place to speak out against issues that face our school on a day-to-day basis. I have met students from a multitude of backgrounds that are wanting to be a part of the change in our school and community. Learning about how much we are able to do just from being a school club has sparked my passion for helping others. I can’t wait to continue and bring what I’ve learned with me to college.”
“Our Wildcat Mental Health Alliance has made a huge impact at Cypress Woods High School by bring awareness to issues surrounding mental health, educating and encouraging their peers about the use of self-care, and helping to end the stigma surrounding mental health concerns. As a result of their efforts, our school is a safer place because all of our students, staff, and community know that at Cy Woods it is okay to not be okay, and more importantly, that there is always help available.”
“The Mental Health Alliance at Cypress Woods High School has created an atmosphere for students and staff to feel safe in talking about mental health concerns. It’s been a great feeling to be on a campus where students feel empowered and encouraged to express their struggles as opposed to suffering in silence.”
- indicates an overall recipient for fiscal year.