TEXAS, USA — The Texas Education Agency is requiring new standards for school district exterior doors, and requiring districts to take multiple additional steps by Sept. 1 to improve school safety.
According to a TEA released last week, school districts will be required to:
- Conduct a Summer Targeted Partial Safety Audit (see below)
- Conduct an Exterior Door Safety Audit (see below)
- Convene the LEA’s Safety and Security Committee to review:
- The multi-hazard emergency operations plan (EOP)
- A component of the EOP, the LEA’s active threat plan
- Ensure all campus staff (including substitutes) are trained on their specific LEA and campus safety procedures
- Schedule all mandatory drills for the school year
- Ensure all threat assessment team members are trained
- Review and, if necessary, update access control procedures
- For the new school year, access control procedures must include exterior door sweeps (ensuring doors are closed and locked) at every instructional facility at least once each week while instruction is being conducted.
The Exterior Door Safety Audit has requirements for sturdy center pillars for double doors, reinforced door frames, automatic door closing devices, automatic door locks, emergency opening mechanisms and more.
It will also require districts to upload campus access point maps as part of the audit. The district provided an Excel spreadsheet tool for districts to use.
The TEA release said the measures "will collectively improve the level of safety at all Texas public schools."
The measures are part of the state response to the shooting at Robb Elementary on May 24. The shooter was able to enter the school through a door that was closed but did not lock correctly.
6 News asked the TEA Thursday if there would be any funding available for smaller or rural school districts that didn't have the funds to upgrade old buildings right away. The TEA did not have an official response at that time.
TEA is hosting a Summer 2022 Safety Audits Webinar on July 12 at noon. Register for the Summer Safety Audit Tracker webinar here.
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