Hays County, Texas — More security cameras, a locking system and a new director of school safety, these are just a few of the things the Hays school district is doing to keep its students safe following school shootings like Parkland and Santa Fe.
All of the changes are made in the name of safety as the halls begin to fill up again with students.
"They can put in different safety measures and that would be great," said Dorthy Andreasen, a parent of a Hays high school student. "Hopefully we never need them."
"You know, I hate to have to worry about my son, so at least it keeps me not as worried during the day I guess," said Dana Beyer
In an email to parents the school said that they have or will:
- Hire a director of school safety to centralize and enhance all safety and emergency management processes and training.
- Add camera monitor panels in school offices so that the building cameras can be actively monitored in real time.
- Remove fire alarm pull stations in our new campuses and campuses with newer fire alarms installed. Manual pull stations are obsolete and could make certain emergencies worse.
- Add locking systems that require visitors to be buzzed into campuses from the secure entryway/office area.
- Reconfigure the entryways to campuses that don’t have secure vestibules.
- Add impact-resistant film on key interior windows at our campuses.
- Expand the Hays Hopeline tip reporting system to allow for reporting of school safety concerns.
- Encourage 100 percent student involvement in some type of extracurricular activity, club, sport or team. No student should feel invisible in Hays CISD. We want everyone connected to their schools and peers.
"Just so we can monitor and be proactive, instead of reactive and just for overall safety," said Eric Wright, the district's superintendent. "It's just new systems overall that really limit access to the building after school is in session."
The parents of the students also feel that having this extra security gives them a little extra piece of mind.