The Victoria ISD is committed to ensuring the safety of our students and staff, and the safety and security of our district, campuses, and facilities remain a top priority for district and campus administrators.
Prior to the tragic events at Uvalde CISD, the VISD began taking steps to increase safety and security at our campuses and facilities; however, as events like Robb Elementary, Oxford High School, Santa Fe High School, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School continue to occur, VISD is highly aware of the continuous need to implement and upgrade district and campus-wide response and recovery.
We also know that it’s important that families know and become familiar with the terminology the District uses regarding safety and security on campuses, so today, we are going to talk about lockdowns and holds on campuses. It is our desire to communicate for impact and lead with radical transparency because we believe this builds trust. We want you to feel safe and secure knowing what happens within the schools, and we believe understanding our safety code language will help.
The District has 23 campuses across Victoria close to businesses and neighborhoods; sometimes, our local law enforcement has to do their job near our campuses. When events like this occur, the District must have campuses go into lockdown, secure, or hold.
Emergency Response Guides
VISD started off the 2022-23 school year with Emergency Response Guides (flip charts) in every classroom in VISD. The guides are a quick reference tool that guides how to handle various campus emergencies (i.e., lockdown, secure, hold, parent-child reunification, etc.). If you haven’t already watched the A Minute with Dr. Shepherd: Safety and Security video, make sure to check it out on the Victoria ISD YouTube channel for more on the Emergency Response Guides.
Lockdowns
A lockdown is when there is a threat or hazard inside the school building and is not limited to parental custody disputes, intruders, or an active shooter. A lockdown uses the security of the classroom to protect students and staff from a threat.
Secure
A secure is when a threat or hazard exists outside the school building. Secure uses the security of the school building as a shell to protect from outside events such as violence or criminal activity in the immediate neighborhood or a dangerous animal on the playground.
Hold
A Hold is called when the hallways need to be clear during class change.
How do we communicate with parents/guardians?
When a campus is placed on lockdown, secure, or hold due to local law enforcement activity in the area, parents/guardians will be notified via District Notification text. A District Notification text will also be sent to parents/guardians once the lockdown or hold has been lifted. Parents/Guardians can contact their campus to ensure your phone and email are up to date to receive these District Notifications. Receiving this notification is not intended as a message to pick up your student. The message is simply to alert you to the status of the building as we work to keep everyone safe and learn more.
When a campus is placed on a lockdown, secure, or hold for other reasons, the district investigates alongside law enforcement any threats made to student or staff safety, including the campus school resources officer (SRO) and VCSO. The District will communicate immediately if a credible disruption occurs within our schools. We work to provide accurate information as quickly as possible. We also “close the loop” with our families, teachers, staff, and students by communicating at the end of a situation. We share as much information as we can without violating confidentiality or making a situation less safe. Should the district be in a position to alert you to pick up your student, those directions will also come via a District Notification. It is imperative we have a reliable number for you to receive these notifications and timely updates.
The District is committed to transparency with our parents, staff, and community and strives to provide critical updates on what we are doing to actively remain vigilant in maintaining safety and security in VISD.
It’s important to keep in mind that the District works diligently to discover, understand and report facts to our community. While those results will never be produced as quickly as rumors or information from live events, our purpose is to be transparent and accurate with the information we provide our parents and community. Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we respond to concerns in our community while keeping our campuses safe and welcoming.
Ashley Scott is the executive director of communications and public relations for Victoria ISD.