'Complacency is our greatest risk': El Paso area schools re-emphasize safety protocols

El Paso Independent School District Superintendent Diana Sayavedra understands returning to school can make parents feel apprehensive about the campus safety of their children.

With the new school year underway, El Paso area school districts are emphasizing their plans to respond to an active shooter three months after the Uvalde, Texas mass shooting, where 19 grade-school students and two teachers were killed.

"Complacency is our greatest risk, while consistency is our greatest strength," Sayavedra said in a back-to-school message to students, parents and staff.

El Paso state Rep. Joe Moody, vice chair of the House investigative committee on the Uvalde shooting, met with El Paso area superintendents in mid-August to discuss school safety and to share lessons learned from Texas' latest school mass shooting.

A total of 12 area districts attended the Education Service Center Region 19 Superintendent Summit, including El Paso's largest school districts, El Paso ISD, Socorro ISD and Ysleta ISD.

Moody broke down the four key findings of the House investigation report: school security, the attacker, law enforcement response and information flow.

"We can set whatever rules and protocols we want, but we have to make sure that they reflect the reality of what's going on on our campuses on a daily basis," Moody said.

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"Tightening up" safety protocols in El Paso schools

Manuel Chavira, EPISD Chief of Police Services, said after the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, El Paso's largest school district tightened up its protocols.

"Anytime something like this happens, all law enforcement agencies, we just say, 'What would we do here in our community?' (and) 'How would we make sure we're tightening up all of these measures?'", Chavira said.

This past summer, EPISD police participated in staff training that included integrated active shooter response protocols. Homeland Security Investigations, Border Patrol, El Paso County Sheriff's Department, Constables, the University of Texas at El Paso Police Department and El Paso Community College Police Department partnered in the training, Chavira said.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued directives requiring all school district administrators to look at their schools' perimeter doors and ensure they are locked, Chavira said.

In a ride-along with district police officers last week, OfficerKarla Pankau-Flores and Sergio Delgado, the El Paso Times got to see what a typical work day is like for EPISD school police.

As students arrived at Paul C. Moreno Elementary School near Downtown El Paso, Pankau-Flores and Delgado checked every perimeter door and ensured they were locked. When students or parents left the school, the officers checked to ensure the students and parents closed the door correctly.

Students on campus were so familiar with their presence that they happily greeted the officers on their way into class.

Officers repeated their patrols at nearby Austin High School. Accustomed to their presence, students ignored the officers as they made their way into class around8:40 a.m.

The officers said district police will normally visit at least three campuses during their morning patrol and visit campuses throughout the day up until the end of school.

"It comes down to police presence," Delgado said.

Pankau-Flores and Delgado said they are confident students, teachers and campus staffers feel safe while at school.

EPISD students and employees are well educated on how to remain safe in case of an active shooter threat and district officials are constantly reminding everyone on how to follow safety procedures, Pankau-Flores and Delgado said

"We're already ahead of the game," Delgado said.

Chief Chavira wants students, teachers and parents to know the district has various safety systems in place with schools back in session.

Teachers and staff were provided with safety training before the start of the school year, Chavira said.

Students can expect random drills on lockdown procedures, also known as active shooter procedures, throughout the school year.

Guests who wish to enter EPISD campuses have to go through a multi-layered visitor management system, the chief said.

The system starts with the front door entry camera, where visitors must present a form of identification. After being buzzed in, visitors are directed to the office area, where they must present their IDs again, Chavira said.

Their IDs are run through a sex offender database and once they're cleared, they're presented a visitor badge for the day and a specific location on campus is listed on the badge, he said.

"If they're here to visit with the principal, then (the badge) it will say 'principal's office.' If anyone else on the campus sees that they're beyond the area of their visit, they can be redirected back," Chavira said.

Campus security leaders count on technology to monitor online threats as well. They use alert systems such as "Let's Talk! K-12" and "IWatchTexas" so students can make anonymous reports about the threats of violence on campus.

The districts also use the "See Something, Say Something" initiative, where students can scan a QR code to make an anonymous report about school threats.

Chavira said the EPISD Police Department is heavily integrated with all law enforcement agencies.

The Texas Department of Safety has routine visits to EPISD campuses to speak with the principals. The district also has an interlock agreement with the El Paso Police Department for hiring extra duty or off-duty police officers to stand post at elementary schools, Chavira said.

Chavira said he wants parents to feel confident the district will proceed in a rapid manner to shut down any threats made to any of their campuses. EPISD has a rapid multi-agency response plan involving 26 law enforcement agencies in West Texas that require officers to be on site within five minutes of an emergency.

"(Students and parents) shouldn't have to be worrying about the security of their school. We'll do that, we'll take care of that," Chavira said. "That's what we have going on with all of our law enforcement partners in this community."

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After Uvalde shooting, Socorro ISD reviews active shooter safety drills

Leaders at Socorro Independent School District, the second largest district in the city, said after the Uvalde shooting, they are revisiting the district's standing security systems.

James Nunn, emergency management coordinator, said guests must be vetted before entering the schools. Once guests enter, their ID is scanned through the HallPass safety system, a background check system.

Students are trained twice yearly on active shooter safety and staff attends a Standard Response Protocol training for active shooter safety every year.

"As a parent myself, we want to have that reassurance that schools are doing all they can to provide that safe and secure learning environment," Nunn said. "And, for SISD, we're working diligently to reinforce our current practices, and provide that safe and secure learning environment that all of our students and families deserve."

According to SISD's website, during an active shooter attack, students are expected to move away from sight, maintain silence, and not open the door.

Ysleta ISD conducts multiple lockdown drills during school year

The Ysleta Independent School District has four lockdown drills for its campuses during the school year, YISD officials said in a statement.

According to the district's website, YISD follows its Standard Response Protocol safety drills and provides a lockdown assessment checklist for teachers and staff to ensure a lockdown or a drill is effectively executed.

"The safety and security of our students is the No. 1 priority at the Ysleta Independent School District. We follow all local, state, and federal emergency management requirements, including the Texas School Safety Center's (TxSSC) Standard Response Protocols and Active Threat Response Standards," YISD district officials said. "We provide secure facilities in which everyone is safe and secure from any outside threat, so faculty may focus on teaching and students may focus on learning. As part of the 2019 Bond, Ysleta ISD is also in the process of adding security vestibules to all student-occupied campuses."

According to YISD's website, the lockdown procedure requirements are moving away from sight, maintaining silence and not opening the door.