CARROLL, CITY OF SOUTHLAKE COLLABORATE TO ENHANCE SCHOOL SAFETY, SECURITY
#SAFEDRAGON
VOLUNTARY RANDOM DRUG TESTING
STANDARD SAFETY PROTOCOLS
In the spring of 2019 the Carroll School Board approved a voluntary random drug testing program for students in grades 7-12. The program is modeled after a testing program that nearby Keller ISD has had in place for about 10 years. Parents must give permission for the district to put their student in the pool for random testing. During the 2019-2020 annual student verification process, parents will be asked whether or not they give permission for their student to be in the program. Up to 10 percent of the participating students are tested each month. There are no punitive consequences as a result of a positive test, but school officials can confidentially work with parents to provide resources and support. If a student tests positive one month, he/she is automatically put in the testing group the next month. Parents can join the program at any time, or cease participation at any time. Trustees recently agreed to add nicotine to the list of items being tested during the 2019-2020 school year.
Carroll ISD will continue to educate, train and drill using the I Love You Guys Foundation Standard Safety Protocols: Lockout, Lockdown, Evacuate, Shelter and Hold. These five emergency protocols are helping to ensure uniformity and greater understanding when responding to an emergency situation. School officials say it is important that staff members drill and discuss potential school emergencies to ensure the use of common terminology and consistency in responding to matters of safety and security. Handouts are provided for parents to explain the protocols, as well as the district’s parent reunification plan.
ICC 500 STORM SHELTERS Carroll ISD is in the process of incorporating new international building codes (ICC 50 0) for storm shelters into the ongoing design and construction at CISD campuses. During the 2019-2020 school year, six of the 11 campuses will be equipped with a storm shelter that can withstand 250 mph winds. The district even decided to build the shelters larger than required so that the entire student/staff population at the campuses could be sheltered during a severe storm. Shelters at Carroll Elementary and Johnson Elementary were built as gymnasiums; at Old Union Elementary, the storm shelter is housed in the new academic classroom wing. Shelters are also a part of the construction ongoing at Carroll Sr. High, Rockenbaugh Elementary and Walnut Grove Elementary. School officials say they will seat a Capital Needs Planning Committee at the end of the 2017 bond program to consider facility planning and shelter needs at the remaining five campuses. The additional costs that cannot be absorbed in the $208 million bond program or through interest earned, will be managed using General Fund Balance.
50 • INSIDE CARROLL
WAIT 5 FOR FACTS An important target #SAFEdragon message going forward will be to discourage the sharing of misinformation on social media and smartphones. Students and staff will be asked to Wait 5 minutes for Facts before texting or tweeting during a school crisis situation. School officials hope this simple culture change will encourage a greater reliance on official CISD messages for facts while at the same time cutting down on speculation and rumor during a school emergency. Encouraging staff and students to pause and wait for facts is a direct result of lessons learned from past school shootings across the nation. False information shared across social media platforms and smartphones is credited with leading first responders to the wrong areas of a school when a shooter is present. Students are encouraged to take their cell phones with them during a lockdown or evacuation so that when given the proper facts/instructions, they can let their parents know they are safe.
LARGE-SCALE DPS TRAINING Carroll ISD teamed up with the Southlake Fire and Police Departments in August to host a large-scale active shooter training at the Administration Center. This exercise was only a drill, but provided teachers, administrators and support staff with key information about how fire and police officers will respond in a potential active shooter situation. The three-day event emphasized incident command, standard safety protocols, team movements, rescue task force and reunification procedures.