Most Texas public schools reviewed this fall passed random inspections meant to detect whether an intruder could gain access to campuses, but more than a quarter of them still need to make improvements. Nearly 3,000 campuses underwent the surprise audits and at about 95% of them, inspectors weren’t able to get unauthorised access, according to a new report from the Texas School Safety Center.
At about 130 campuses, inspectors were able to gain unauthorised access within five minutes. They could do so within two minutes at 75 schools, the report noted. About 28% of all schools audited, or more than 800, still needed corrective actions, the report found.
Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the random inspections in the wake of the deadly Uvalde mass shooting in May where a heavily armed gunman gained access to Robb Elementary School, killing 19 children and two teachers.
The majority of the time that inspectors did gain access to school campuses was through secondary unlocked doors, not through the main office – highlighting a common challenge for school officials.
After the Uvalde massacre, officials falsely blamed a Robb Elementary teacher for propping a door open moments before the gunman entered the school. Ultimately it was revealed that the teacher slammed the door shut, but it did not automatically lock.
The audits found more than 85% of exterior doors were locked upon inspection. In some cases, items were nearby that could easily be used to prop them open, the report noted. Most districts audited do proactively conduct exterior door sweeps to check for unlocked or broken doors regularly.
The preliminary report comes as lawmakers convene in Austin for the legislative session with a budget surplus that educators hope could mean allocating more funding for school safety as it’s top of mind for many. Dallas schools Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde wants significantly more funding for a variety of safety-related initiatives.
Schools currently get roughly $10 per student for safety needs, but Dallas ISD wants that bumped up to at least $200. Elizalde said that would help the district “harden” schools by adding cameras or security vestibules at the front door of school buildings and fund mental health supports for students, such as hiring additional counsellors.
Texas is home to more than 1,000 public school districts and charters. Texas schools encompass more than 8,000 campuses and 672 million square feet, according to the National Council on School Facilities. Individual school districts aren’t sharing much information about the audit findings or school safety needs. Many have discussed the audits in closed-door, private meetings citing safety concerns.
The centre’s report released this week does not include information about what type of corrective actions are needed on campuses or the current status of those efforts. The report did note that about 51% of corrective actions have been verified and addressed.
Districts have 45 days after it is notified by the centre to address corrective actions.
