Schools

Security Tight For First Day Of School In La Porte, Friendswood

Students and staff in La Porte, Friendswood and Brazosport experienced their first day of school with tighter security.

PASADENA, TX -- Schools in La Porte, Friendswood and Brazosport welcomed students to their campuses for the start of the 2018 school year on Wednesday. Many of the districts in the area used their summer to enhance safety and security at their campuses.

La Porte Independent School District, which is near the Santa Fe school district on the Gulf Coast where 10 students were killed in a mass shooting in May, was among the school districts implementing changes to enhance campus safety.

“La Porte ISD takes the safety of students and staff very seriously. Recent tragedies affecting districts across the nation caused our district leadership team to further evaluate safety protocols at our schools, and steps to further increase safety have been taken over the summer,” La Porte school officials said in a press release.

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Some of the changes included:

  • A revised check-in procedure for parents visiting elementary lunch periods
  • Clear backpack policy
  • Extensive safety training for all staff, including substitute teachers
  • Changes to campus buildings and fences

La Porte has also implemented an online reporting system to report cyberbullying or other safety concerns anonymously.

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Safety was also addressed in Friendswood by the district’s safety committee, which was formed in the days after the Santa Fe High School shooting.

Some of the issues addressed by the committee and implemented by the school board included:

  • Adding additional police officers
  • Upgrading security at campus entry points
  • Student and Staff ID badge requirements changes
  • Comprehensive Safety and Security training for staff members

Brazosport Schools updated the districts safety and security rules that are easily located and explained on the district’s website here.

Students in Pasadena return to class on Aug. 20.

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