Safety and Well-Being

Q&A with SISD Security Coordinator

Justin Mathew

Could you please describe your role at SISD?

My job as the Safety and Security coordinator is to make sure that we are safe and that we continue to strive to be safer in every aspect of our Sunnyvale culture. I want to make sure that we develop a relationship with our first responders. The other part of my job is to make sure that we have good policies and procedures that surpass the State Government standards.

What is your background?

I have worked at Sunnyvale ISD for 9 years now and I graduated from the University of North Texas with my Bachelors in Development and Family Studies and then my Masters in Educational Leadership. I am currently working on my Masters in Emergency Management and I have been always interested in Safety and Security. I have worked on different security details and with different agencies throughout the last 15 years.

How do you and the School Resource Officers work together?

It is vital that we work with our Police and Fire departments so that if or when we have an emergency situation of any kind, that they know our facilities and know as many of our students and staff as possible. Our SROs have become important members of our schools because they provide protection, but also knowledge of security and resources from the community.

What is your top priority as the District Safety Coordinator?

My top priority is to make sure that we are all safe and that we have procedures, personnel and technology to continue to keep us protected.

What is the most important thing SISD can do make certain our students are safe?

The most important thing is to love on our students as much as possible and let them know that the faculty and staff of our great district will do their best to protect our students from physical and emotional harm. Mental health problems are rising in the world and we need to make sure that our students know that they can talk about issues with people that care about them.

Food 4 Kids Program Available in SISD

BY EMILY TAYLOR

As a newly adopted district of the North Texas Food Bank program Food 4 Kids, Sunnyvale ISD is providing extra support to students in need. This program provides students with backpacks stocked with food over weekends and extended holidays. The program will support families facing hardship, whether temporary or permanent.

“We all know life can throw us curveballs at any time,” Federal Programs Director and At-Risk Coordinator Stacie Wilson explained. “When we as a district learn about these hindrances…we try to find ways to support the whole family. Because when the family is thriving, so can the child.”

The only criteria for being a part of the program is that there is a need for students to be fed. This need may be brought to the attention of counselors by observant teachers or staff members, parents, or even the students themselves. The district will then reach out to the family and obtain approval to provide this assistance.

Food 4 Kids allows districts to enter food orders on a bi-weekly basis and then distributes the backpacks from a warehouse in Plano. Wilson and Melissa James, SISD’s Crisis Counselor, then take the food directly to the students.

In the past, SISD has relied on generous community members and Sunnyvale First Baptist Church to meet these needs when they arose. While this vital giving is greatly appreciated, partnering with Food 4 Kids will allow more consistent and readily available resources for students in need.

“Students cannot learn effectively with hungry bellies,” Wilson said.

“Our students’ essential needs must be met first before we can expect them to focus on reading, writing, and arithmetic.” - Stacie Wilson, Federal Programs and At-Risk Coordinator