- Taylor Independent School District
- Taylor ISD Safety & Security
Taylor ISD Safety & Security
-
The safety of our students, staff and facilities is of the utmost importance. In that regard, Taylor ISD works closely with local law enforcement regarding school safety initiatives. Additionally, the district has a number of programs and protocols in place to promote safety and security, including:
-
- Our middle school and high school are served by a full-time School Resource Officer (SRO) who provides security and law enforcement services. SROs promote safety and security at their assigned campuses and seek to develop rapport with students.
- Taylor High School employs a Parking Lot / Hall Monitor who circulates throughout the campus, serving as an additional set of eyes and ears to report and respond to safety concerns and control access to doors.
- Elementary school campuses are patrolled by uniformed, contract peace officers in marked police vehicles throughout the school day.
- Taylor ISD contracts with a Detection Canine (K-9) service which includes detection dog handler teams to detect the presence of drugs and alcohol. The handler team checks Taylor ISD secondary campuses throughout the year, including cars parked on district property, school lockers, classrooms and common areas of the buildings.
- Uniformed police officers provide security at athletic events, socials, proms, fundraisers and other district events as deemed necessary.
- Video surveillance camera systems in all schools help administrators monitor the interior and exterior of the building.
- Intercom and video systems at visitor entries allow school staff to communicate with visitors prior to allowing entry.
- Campus safety vestibules are designed such that visitors must be admitted to the school office prior to gaining access to secure areas of the school beyond the office.
- All Taylor ISD campuses and facilities use the School Pass electronic visitor management system. The School Pass system, which requires the visitor to present a driver’s license or other acceptable form of government-issued identification, logs the visitor into the building and provides the visitor with a temporary, photo-identification badge to wear while in the building. The visitor management system also checks the visitor’s identification against a nationwide database of registered sex offenders.
- District-wide emergency notification system Blackboard that allows immediate, district-wide notification of emergency information and serves as backup communication for campuses should telephone service be interrupted. The system will also allow joint-communication with police and fire departments in an emergency.
- Criminal history background checks are required for applicants for employment, volunteers, mentors and contractors.
- All Taylor ISD campuses and facilities have Stop the Bleed Stations and Automated External Defibrillators (AED) available for emergency use.
- Each campus has one or more copies of the district’s Emergency Procedures Guide and staff members have an electronic version available for installation on a smart phone.
- Each campus has an individual Campus Emergency Plan that is updated each year.
- Campuses work with the Community Services and the Local Agencies in addressing potential threats and threat assessments involving students.
For more information about TISD Safety & Security please contact:
Human Resources(512) 365-1391 -
-
Campus Visitor Guidelines
We are proud of our schools and welcome visitors. In order to protect the security of our students and staff and the learning environment at our schools, visitors must adhere to the following guidelines:
- All visitors to campuses must report to the school office, present government-issued photo ID, sign in, state reason for being on campus and obtain approval from the principal or designee.
- All visitors to school campuses shall wear a visitor name badge provided by the school office.
- Visitors who wish to disseminate information to students or staff must comply with District board policies. Visitors may not recruit for fund-raising activities, religious groups, youth groups or political causes when visiting school campuses in accordance with this policy. Please contact the campus principal or Taylor ISD Communications Department for more information.
- Media representatives shall arrange visits to school campuses with the District's Communications Department at the central Administration Building.
- Visitors are must wear appropriate attire when visiting District schools.
- A request for a parent and/or others to visit a classroom must be approved by the teacher and the principal. Approval shall be subject to the classroom activities scheduled for the day of the requested visit and must be conducted in accordance with District policies.
- Due to privacy issues, videotaping in the classroom by parents is not permitted. Exceptions shall be granted only by the superintendent or designee.
- Visitors who fail to comply with any of these guidelines and/or District policies may be prohibited from visiting the school and other District Facilities.
-
Unauthorized Persons: Refusal of Entry, Ejection, Identification
Section 37.105 of the Texas Education Code provides that a school administrator, school resource officer, or school district peace officer of a school district may refuse to allow a person to enter on or may eject a person from property under the district's control if the person refuses to leave peaceably on request and:
-
- the person poses a substantial risk of harm to any person; or
- the person behaves in a manner that is inappropriate for a school setting and
- the administrator, resource officer, or peace officer issues a verbal warning to the person that the person's behavior is inappropriate and may result in the person's refusal of entry or ejection; and
- the person persists in that behavior.
(b) Identification may be required of any person on the property.
(c) Each school district shall maintain a record of each verbal warning issued under Subsection (a)(2)(A), including the name of the person to whom the warning was issued and the date of issuance.
(d) At the time a person is refused entry to or ejected from a school district's property under this section, the district shall provide to the person written information explaining the appeal process established under Subsection (h).
(e) If a parent or guardian of a child enrolled in a school district is refused entry to the district's property under this section, the district shall accommodate the parent or guardian to ensure that the parent or guardian may participate in the child's admission, review, and dismissal committee or in the child's team established under Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794), in accordance with federal law.
(f) The term of a person's refusal of entry to or ejection from a school district's property under this section may not exceed two years.
(g) A school district shall post on the district's Internet website and each district campus shall post on any Internet website of the campus a notice regarding the provisions of this section, including the appeal process established under Subsection (h).
(h) The commissioner shall adopt rules to implement this section, including rules establishing a process for a person to appeal to the board of trustees of the school district the decision under Subsection (a) to refuse the person's entry to or eject the person from the district's property.
-
-
Emergency Procedures
The District has comprehensive emergency procedures to provide campus administrators with guidance during emergencies or critical incidents:
- Each campus has one or more copies of the District’s Emergency Procedures Administrator’s Guide, and staff members have access to an electronic version available for download to a smart phone. Campus administrators have received training in the Incident Command System (ICS) and attend safety and security update training each school year.
- Taylor ISD has adopted the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) for use during emergency or critical incidents. The SRP includes five (5) emergency actions that can be taken in an emergency: Hold, Secure, Lockout, Evacuate and Shelter.
- Taylor ISD has also adopted the Standard Reunification Model (SRM) for use in reunifying parents and students during or following an incident.
- Students and campus staff members receive training on the SRP during the first month of each school year. Each campus conducts specific emergency drills each semester, as well as monthly fire drills, to reinforce emergency preparedness.
-
Weather Related Guidelines
Inclement and/or dangerous weather occurs routinely in the North Texas area and, as such, Taylor ISD has plans and procedures in place to promote student and staff safety. Parents, students and staff members should be aware of the following information concerning the district’s weather-related guidelines.
Monitoring Weather
Safety and Security Services monitors weather conditions that may impact the Taylor ISD area. Members of the department rely on publicly available weather information sources, including internet sources, National Weather Service alerts, and local media outlets, and also stay in contact with local city emergency management departments during periods of anticipated volatile weather. All campuses have weather alert radios and have access to internet-based weather sources. It is strongly recommended that individual campuses monitor weather conditions in their area.
School Notification
In the event of anticipated or imminent severe weather that may impact school operations, District Leadership will notify campuses and departments. The decision to alter school schedules or to cancel school must be approved by the Superintendent or designee, but individual campuses can stop or delay dismissal in an emergency when necessary for student safety.
Communicating Emergency Closures of Schools and Offices
The superintendent of schools may close schools and offices due to severe weather or emergencies (e.g., icy roads, power outages, flooding, etc.). In that case, Taylor ISD announces such closings through various communication channels:
-
- The Taylor ISD Website www.taylorisd.org Weather-related closures and updates will be posted in real time on the Plano ISD home page.
- School Messenger (e-mail and telephone messages): The district will provide updated information as needed to all parent and emergency contact telephone numbers and email addresses in the system.
- Social media – Facebook and Twitter Weather-related closures will be posted immediately to Taylor ISD’s Facebook and Twitter pages. You do not have to sign up for Facebook or Twitter to view these pages; however, followers will receive instant updates in their newsfeeds.
- Local news media: Taylor ISD will make information available to local television and radio stations and will enlist their assistance in communicating with our audiences.
Cancellation of After-School or Evening Events
The decision to cancel after-school or evening activities due to inclement weather in the forecast is ordinarily made at the campus level or by the Superintendent.
-