Keep Klein Safe

SECURE is called when there is a threat or hazard outside of the school building. Whether it’s due to violence or criminal activity in the immediate neighborhood, or a dangerous animal in the playground, SECURE uses the security of the physical facility to act as protection.

EXAMPLES OF SECURE CONDITIONS
The following are some examples of when a school or emergency dispatch might call for a SECURE.

• Dangerous animal on school grounds
• Criminal activity in area
• Civil disobedience

STUDENTS

• Return inside the building or temporary building
• Business as usual

TEACHER

• Bring everyone indoors
• Lock outside doors
• Increase situational awareness
• Business as usual
• Take attendance

LOCKDOWN is called when there is a threat or hazard inside the school building. From parental custody disputes to intruders to a weapon on campus, LOCKDOWN uses classroom security to protect students and staff from threat.

EXAMPLES OF LOCKDOWN CONDITIONS
The following are simply some examples of when a school or emergency dispatch might call for a LOCKDOWN.

• Dangerous animal within school building
• Intruder
• Angry or violent person attempting to gain entry
• Weapon on campus

STUDENTS

• Move away from sight
• Maintain silence
• Do not open the door

TEACHER

• Lock interior doors
• Turn out the lights
• Move away from sight
• Do not open the door
• Maintain silence
• Take attendance

EVACUATE is called when there is a need to move students from one location to another.

STUDENTS

• Bring your phone
• Leave your stuff behind
• Follow instructions

TEACHER

• Lead evacuation to a location
• Take attendance
• Notify if missing, extra or injured students

SHELTER is called when the need for personal protection is necessary. Training should also include spontaneous events such as tornado, earthquake or hazmat.

HAZARDS MAY INCLUDE:

• Tornado (or other extreme weather)
• Hazmat (chemical spill or fumes)
• Earthquake
• Tsunami

STUDENTS

• Tornado 
• Hazmat
• Earthquake
• Tsunami

TEACHER

• Lead safety strategy
• Take attendance

HOLD is used in situations that require students to remain in their classrooms. For example, an altercation in the hallway may demand keeping students out of the halls until it is resolved.

STUDENTS

• Remain in the classroom until the “All Clear” is announced

TEACHER

• Close and lock the classroom door
• Business as usual
• Take attendance

Threat - A threat is a communication or behavior that indicates an individual poses a danger to the safety of school staff or students through acts of violence or other behavior that would cause harm to self or others. The threat may be expressed or communicated behaviorally, orally, visually, in writing, electronically, or through any other means. 

Credible threat - A credible threat means that a threat was made with the intent and the apparent ability to carry out the threat. 

Non-credible threat - After an investigation, law enforcement deems a threat non-credible when through the course of the investigation, they find no legitimacy of the threat. All threats are considered credible until we can reasonably articulate otherwise.

• Threats Reported: Incidents are promptly reported to school administration, district administration, or Klein ISD Police.
• Immediate Police Notification: Law enforcement is notified immediately by building or district administration.
• Police Response: Law enforcement conducts a thorough investigation with assistance from school and District administrators.
• Credibility Assessment: The threat is assessed for credibility by police, school, and District administrators determining whether it is credible or non-credible.
• Communication Release: The District releases parent and staff communication as soon as the status (SECURE, HOLD, etc.) of the school changes. 
• Ongoing Updates During Active Investigation: Law enforcement provides updates to district administrators as the investigation continues. The District will continue to pass on those updates to parents and staff. 

The district must uphold the integrity of the investigation by refraining from communicating information which may compromise the active investigation. 

Why isn’t the juvenile/student involved in the threat named or consequences shared? Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), all juveniles/students have a right to privacy. There are very clear laws and guidelines regarding what information schools may share internally with faculty and staff, what information may be shared with law enforcement or any outside agencies, and what information may be shared with the community.

We respect all opinions and admire those wanting to protect students by arming teachers. We are so very fortunate in Klein ISD to have a dedicated police department that is highly trained in active shooter protocol. We are aware of much smaller, rural districts in Texas that are allowing licensed staff to have firearms on campus because they do not employ trained officers and in many cases because of proximity, no law enforcement agency can respond to an active shooter emergency within an acceptable time frame.

Besides being highly trained, Klein ISD is fortunate enough to have eight ALERRT (Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training) active shooter instructors on the police staff. We have a very robust active shooter response training program that requires EVERY officer to attend a full active shooter course annually. Then, we require each of our officers to participate in several full-day practical active shooter courses spread out throughout the year. Our officers are required to qualify at a higher percentage than the state requirements on all weapon platforms they are authorized to carry. We do this to ensure their skills are constantly being reinforced. Additionally, all officers have been trained and are required to carry on their person the medical supplies needed to “Stop the Bleed” in all hazard events.

Not only do we train Klein ISD Police Officers in ALERRT, but we also provide the ALERRT training to many other area school districts, the local Constables office, portions of the Sheriff’s office, along with many other officers from the federal level and across the country.

The Klein ISD Police Department has officers assigned to many of our campuses, and we have officers strategically positioned throughout the district to ensure a rapid response to any incidents that may arise. Our safety and security protocols have many safety layers and provide a high safety standard for our students and staff.

We are currently implementing the access control buzzer system at elementary schools and will assess this for intermediate campuses in the future. Our current measures among others at the intermediate and high schools include multiple officers at each high school and either a full-time or a shared officer at the intermediate campuses.

Klein ISD has a layered approach to school security, and we continually research new measures to add to our security plan. Doors to our elementary mods have been addressed in the safety and security plan.

The elementary access control buzzer and visitor access control projects are in the queue to complete first. Classroom mod doors will be the final phase of this layered security effort.