After an 18-year-old John Jay High School student was stabbed at a Mexican restaurant during off-campus lunch, some Northside ISD parents were upset about how the incident was communicated.
When the stabbing happened on Tuesday, John Jay parents were sent an email and phone call when the school was placed on a modified lockdown.
Unlike a traditional lockdown, where students are huddled in a corner, during a modified lockdown, classroom activities are not disrupted, all students are kept inside, and all doors are secured.
Barry Perez, spokesperson for Northside ISD, said when these incidents arise, parents are notified after all students are accounted for.
“The first action on the school administrators’ part is not going to be going to the phone or to the computer, draft messaging to get it out to parents. Their priority is going to be -- it must be securing students and staff and making sure that that building is as secure as it can be until law enforcement arrives on scene,” Perez said.
Perez said, within the last two weeks, nearly a dozen campuses have reported some kind of safety threat as a post or text.
However, Northside ISD does not keep an official record of all the school safety threats.
KSAT 12 reached out to several school districts about their school safety protocol. So far, Alamo Heights ISD, Judson ISD, Northeast ISD, San Antonio ISD, and Harlandale ISD responded to us at this time.
The districts responded to a series of questions and released statements. You can read their responses below.
ALAMO HEIGHTS ISD
What types of incidents rise to the level of notifying parents?
“We aim to keep our parents and staff as informed as possible in the event of any emergency situation in Alamo Heights ISD, and district leaders work in coordination with the Alamo Heights Police Department and SAPD to respond. This could include a water main break, law enforcement activity in proximity of a school, or another event that requires us to implement safety protocols,” said Alamo Heights ISD.
When is a note or phone call, or email sent to parents? Some parents complain the notifications are not coming in soon enough. For example, some parents feel like the communication should be in real-time instead of at the end of the school day.
“Alamo Heights ISD utilizes the School Messenger system, which allows us to send voicemails and emails to parents as well as text messages for those that opt-in. At the beginning of the school year, we ask that parents update all contact information so we are able to communicate with them and ask them to opt-in for text notifications if they haven’t done so.
“In the event of an emergency, we aim to update parents as frequently as possible with status reports during an incident, notice when an all-clear is given in coordination with law enforcement, and, if needed, reunification information if school is dismissed for the day. We also try to follow up with communication after an emergency event,” said the district.
What is the protocol before notifying parents?
“District leaders communicate with campus administrators and law enforcement to gather information in the event of an emergency situation and determine what type of staff and parent communication is needed and when. We understand their first priority is to address the crisis at hand and ensure the safety of students and staff,” the district said.
Can you explain the different types of lockdown procedures? It’s my understanding some lockdowns require students to hide, and other lockdowns do not disrupt class flow but require everyone to be inside the building. Which type of work lockdown will parents be notified about?
“Alamo Heights ISD uses Standard Response Protocol, as do many school districts, which includes the terminology Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter. All campus staff is trained, and drills are held regularly on our campuses. Some of these protocols - Hold and Secure - do allow for some business as usual within the campus and classrooms. A hold could be, for example, a medical emergency that requires hallways to be cleared to address.
“We would typically communicate with parents about situations involving a Secure, Shelter, Lockdown, or Evacuate status,” said Alamo Heights ISD.
What about off-campus incidents? Would parents be notified if an incident involving students happened close to the school or if it happened during school hours?
“Generally, yes, parents would be notified about an off-campus situation if it affected the safety of the students, staff, and/or school. (Law enforcement activity in the neighborhood would be an example,)” the district said.
JUDSON ISD
What types of incidents rise to the level of notifying parents?
“At Judson ISD, we strive to provide timely and accurate information as well as promote direct, open, and respectful communication between staff, students, and parents. Our charge is to respond to parent calls and emails within a 24-hour period during business days. For incidents that occur on campus, it is our practice to communicate with parents as soon as reasonably possible, depending on the situation, only parents of students involved may be contacted,” said Judson ISD in a statement.
When is a note or phone call, or email sent to parents?
“Some parents complain the notifications are not coming in soon enough. For example, some parents feel like the communication should be in real-time instead of at the end of the school day. We make every effort to notify parents as soon as reasonably possible. We encourage all parents to ensure that their contact information is updated in our systems to ensure important messages are received. For emergency notifications, such as severe weather delays, school closures, or safety threats, we typically send information through text, email, and/or phone calls,” said the statement.
What is the protocol before notifying parents?
“It is our charge to send timely and accurate information. Campus staff or Judson PD would need to gather and verify the preliminary information that can be shared. There may be situations where an incident occurs at the end of the day, or an investigation occurred for several hours, which may mean that parents would not be notified until the end of the day,” the district said.
Can you explain the different types of lockdown procedures? It’s my understanding some lockdowns require students to hide, and other lockdowns do not disrupt class flow but require everyone to be inside the building. Which type of lockdown will parents be notified about?
“Judson ISD has signed an MOU partnering the district with the “I Love You Guys Foundation,” and we have recently adopted the use of their Standard Response Protocol or SRP. We respond to different scenarios in a consistent way across the district and use common language. I have attached a handout for your reference. Each action requires students and staff to respond to an emergency situation in a specific way. We are practicing these responses with students and staff and are constantly reflecting and adjusting on how to more effectively and efficiently communicate with our families during these situations.
“There are five response protocols: Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, and Shelter. Parents would be notified for each of the five responses; however, the protocol that is activated and the nature of the incident typically determine when they receive notification. During a lockdown, which would be the protocol used for very serious situations, such as if there was a threat inside of the building, we would notify parents immediately and provide intermittent updates. During most Hold situations, parents would receive notification after the situation has been resolved or at the end of the school day,” the district said.
What about off-campus incidents? Would parents be notified if an incident involving students happened close to the school or if it happened during school hours?
“We do not have direct control over information flow on incidents that occur off-campus. If our students were involved and we were informed, we would communicate relevant information to parents as appropriate, however, there may be some situations where that information should come from whichever entity is involved in the incident, such as if the incident turned into an active investigation that was being handled by another law enforcement agency,” said Judson ISD.
HARLANDALE ISD
What types of incidents rise to the level of notifying parents?
“Anything that we believe is a concern for the safety and well-being of their students,” said Harlandale ISD in a statement.
When is a note or phone call, or email sent to parents? What is the protocol before notifying parents?
“Emails and phone calls are sent as soon as possible. The protocol is the principal notifies HISD PD (if they need to get involved), as well as the PIO and Superintendent. The PIO helps create the letter and or phone call, and then the letter is sent back to the principal so that they can send it out to their parents,” said the district.
Can you explain the different types of lockdown procedures?
“We follow the Standard Response Protocols,” said the district.
Additional information for each protocol can be found here.
What about off-campus incidents? Would parents be notified if an incident involving students happened close to the school or if it happened during school hours?
“Yes, anytime our student’s safety or well-being is involved, we notify parents and staff,” said Harlandale ISD.
San Antonio ISD
“We notify parents in instances of both lockouts and lockdowns. A lockout brings everyone safely inside the building to continue with normal operations, but no external individuals are allowed to enter the building unless designated by the principal. Lockouts occur when a neighborhood incident or potential threat is outside of the building. Lockouts are lifted as soon as officers notify the campus that the external event has safely cleared, and then schools notify their families via email.
“A lockdown, on the other hand, is implemented when an incident or potential threat is within the building, and staff and students move away from sight and maintain silence. Communications with families begin as immediately as possible and continue throughout the incident. Communications are shared through multiple channels, including telephone, text, email, social media, and website alerts. These real-time messages are brief, as information is still evolving, and the focus is on keeping families informed that an incident is happening and sharing what we know as we learn it. A final message, with more detail, is emailed to families the same day to keep families informed with any new information and to share the next steps,” said San Antonio ISD.
“Off-campus incidents involving students may also be shared with families, and examples of these cases could be if a student was approached by a suspicious person or followed by a suspicious vehicle. Another example might be if an individual, who may or may not be a student, posted or shared messages to social media that specifically mention a campus by name, and that message could be interpreted as a potential threat.
“In all cases, we like to keep families as informed as possible while following federal laws such as FERPA. It is understandable that families have concerns in today’s world, and we share those concerns. All of our students are like our own children. We will do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe from harm, and we will communicate with our families to alleviate their concerns the best we can,” said the district.
Northeast ISD
What types of incidents rise to the level of notifying parents?
“Typically, we will alert parents of anything that could be a safety concern or something that would impact their student at school. For example, a threat to the entire campus, a lockdown, a concerning social media post, incorrect rumors that are getting out of control, etc.,” said Northeast ISD.
When is a note or phone call, or email sent to parents? Some parents complain the notifications are not coming in soon enough. For example, some parents feel like the communication should be in real-time instead of at the end of the school day.
“This varies by incident. The first priority is handling the situation. Sometimes, a notification can be done while the incident is being investigated, sometimes, it can’t. It takes time to gather accurate information, and we aren’t going to notify parents until we know our information is correct. Whenever possible, communication should occur as soon as possible. However, sometimes if there’s not a safety concern and the notification is more of an FYI – communication can be sent toward the end of the day or after school,” said the district.
What is the protocol before notifying parents?
“The priority is to handle the situation if it’s something occurring on a campus. Then, we need to have accurate information and make sure we are communicating with information we have verified or investigated,” the district said.
Can you explain the different types of lockdown procedures? It’s my understanding some lockdowns require students to hide, and other lockdowns do not disrupt class flow but require everyone to be inside the building. Which type of lockdown will parents be notified about?
“All lockdowns require students to hide, turn off lights, and remain quiet. A lockdown is called when there is a threat INSIDE the school. Lockdowns are rare. All other terminology means there is a situation OUTSIDE of the school…perhaps in the neighborhood, a police chase, a suspect on the loose, etc. If there is that type of incident, we go into “a secure.” That means business as usual inside the school, but no one goes in or out. These are much more common. Typically, we will let parents know about either of these situations,” Northeast ISD said.
What about off-campus incidents? Would parents be notified if an incident involving students happened close to the school or if it happened during school hours?
“This would be a judgment call on whether it impacted or affected any students at the school. For example, if a stranger tried to abduct someone on the way to school, that would definitely be something we would want parents to know about. If it’s a fight in the neighborhood where seven students were involved, we would contact those seven students’ families individually, and perhaps communication with the entire school wouldn’t be necessary,” said the district.