KILLEEN, Texas — Killeen ISD went back to school Monday morning with new safety measures, along with new programs to bridge the learning gap set by the pandemic.
Superintendent, John Craft, of Killeen ISD said one new safety provision in place will be metal detectors.
"This is going to be a little bit of a different type of system that allows for faster processing," Craft said.
The detectors will rotate through each school in the district throughout the school year.
There is also a new app that parents can access, so they can keep up with their students' safety.
Parents can track where their child's bus is at all times and submit tips that could prevent bullying, as well as check school lunches and more.
"Parents are going to receive very timely succinct messages in the event that there is a safety matter that needs to be communicated," Craft said.
Schools within the district will also see the addition of a K-9 unit. The dog will be a weapons detection dog.
Taina Maya, the PIO for KISD said there will be a large focus on making sure doors are locked and communication with Law Enforcement is kept up.
"We're proud to say we were proactive in our safety approach," Maya said.
The school district has also been designated as being part of a "Safe Place Network" of school districts. KISD is the first in the Central Texas region.
This ensures that every building part of KISD is a safe haven for students who need to seek refuge.
These could be students suffering from domestic abuse, or any kind of hardship, whether they go to or are from outside of the district.
The school district will also focus on bridging the learning gap this year. Extra minutes have been added onto the school year. It will give students the opportunity to have more school days afforded to them if they miss school because of illness.
Craft added that the school district has noticed a learning gap since the pandemic, and that's why they have started programs like their "power hours" for their high school.
"That's really been a result and highlighted by our achievement scores that we've been analyzing, and we do have some ground to cover," Craft said. " We do have some kids who have fallen behind, unfortunately."
These "power hours" will be like a lunch hour. Intervention programs will be offered during these hours to help get kids on grade level or to excel past.
Craft leaves everyone with a final message for the start of what he hopes to be a positive school year.
"We encourage our community to take part in what I say will be a successful school year,"" Craft said.