Safety & Security Department

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Posted:  August 17, 2010

Open Letter about Irving ISD Security

by J. Pat Lamb, Director of Security and Operations

Dear Parent,

I have been privileged to talk with you over the past several years about security efforts within our district which are designed to maintain a safe and secure environment for our students, teachers, and visitors. These security efforts work best if done collaboratively with you, the parent. Together, we seek the same goal: that your child attends our schools without fear so that he or she can enjoy educational excellence. We seek to daily fulfill the district’s mission which states: “The Irving ISD, in partnership with families and the community, shall meet the educational needs of students by producing engaged learners who are critical thinkers, leaders, and contributors in a technological, diverse, and competitive 21st century world.” Our Board of Trustees has established as its top priority that we will “provide a safe, healthy, secure and orderly environment throughout the district for students, staff, parents and patrons of the Irving ISD, while also making emergency preparedness a high priority.” To that end, I pledge to you our very best efforts.

Undoubtedly, the public schoolhouse remains the safest place in the community. This is so because very good people work to create the child’s learning environment that is free from harm. For the next few minutes, I would like to share with you some of the measures we have in place to provide for that safe, secure, and orderly environment.

• The district’s security department is a 24 hour operation. We have dispatchers and patrol officers on duty around the clock to provide coverage to district assets and to provide rapid response in the event of an emergency.

• The district partners with the Irving Police Department to provide School Resource Officers (SRO) at all campus sites. These police officers are present at the schools to provide basic life‐safety protection for students and staff.

• Campus Auxiliary Officers, who are employed within the security department, work at our secondary schools to ensure students move within the campus safely.

• The Irving Fire Department conducts monthly fire evacuation drills, as well as building inspections to ensure that all “systems” within the school operate in a safe manner.

• District security continues to train with campus crisis management teams, SROs, and the Irving Fire Department to ensure students and staff are prepared to respond to a variety of threats to the school. Such threats include natural disasters, such as a tornado, and those that come from people, such as a violent person on campus.

• We have some 1,250 digital cameras strategically located throughout the district to ensure campus administration can timely monitor activity at the school.

• We continue to use the Raptor Visitor Identification System that registers all visitors, cross‐referencing them against current Registered Sexual Offender databases.

• All exterior doors are controlled through remote access, so that the school can be locked down within mere moments.

All security measures are coordinated through the district’s multihazard emergency operations plan; this plan articulates steps we continue to take relative to preparation, planning, response, and recovery should we experience an emergency.

Our security department has a five-year strategic plan that outlines the direction we will take in maintaining a safe and secure environment for your students. Our goals are direct and are designed to position us as a trusted ally to both the classroom teacher and you. Our desire is that students would be able to engage in the academic process without fear; that they would be free to unleash their potential and to explore their creativity. In many ways, we recognize that our product is more than simply providing a safe learning environment – though that’s important. We believe we are helping to create the future leadership of our state and nation by aiding your students in their academic journey; their success is our product.

Please consider a sampling of our department goals as outlined in our strategic plan. I think you’ll agree that we have our focus aimed in the right direction.

• Reduce criminal activity within the district;

• Implement a “Student Voices” program designed to give students a forum to voice safety and security concerns;

• Increase emergency management awareness through interactive training with the City of Irving Emergency Management Office, local law enforcement, and the Irving Fire Department;

• Evaluate for implementation state‐of‐the‐art security technology;

• Implement a Safe Schools Challenge, recognizing the safety and security efforts of our schools;

• Identify and implement improvements designed to increase the level of customer satisfaction within the community as relates safety and security;

• Support a diverse workforce and implement an “Above and Beyond” recognition program for security officers; and

• Develop and implement a “Leadership Apprentice Program” designed to develop future supervisors within the security department.

In closing, I recognize that safety and security is of utmost importance as you entrust your children into our care. I assure you many very good people think about how best to provide that security on a daily basis. But we need – and want – your help in this process. If you ever have a concern about safety and security with respect to your student, I encourage you to speak with the principal. As well, call or email me. My office telephone number is 972-600-5140 (our 24-hour security dispatch number is 972-600-5134); my email is plamb@irvingisd.net.  I would enjoy the chance to speak with you.

Thank you for your time,

 
J. Pat Lamb
Director of Security & Operations
Irving Independent School District
plamb@irvingisd.net