When students returned to Duncanville ISD classrooms last week, it was amid a growing security presence.
Duncanville ISD Police Chief Mitchell Lambert has stepped up the daily rotations of patrols at the 18 campuses under the unit’s purview.
“We constantly monitor and patrol each campus daily, there’s not really a campus they stick with,” explained Lambert, according to CBS News Texas.
The school district is committed to ensuring that safety isn’t just a priority but a guarantee.
“Every year, every summer we’re evolving. We’re trying something different we’re trying to make it more secure,” Lambert said.
Ahead of the first day of school, the 26 officers of Duncanville ISD reviewed each campus. Checks were conducted to ensure that every access point was secure.
Metal detectors are in place at the entrances of school buildings and new camera systems have been installed.
The district is also moving toward a clear backpack policy similar to those seen in Mesquite ISD and Dallas ISD, as reported in The Dallas Express. Students in grades K-12 are currently recommended to carry clear or mesh backpacks and by spring, they will be required to do so.
On September 1, House Bill 3 will take effect, requiring “that at least one armed security officer is present during regular school hours at each district campus,” as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
The move strives to ensure that a trained individual is available to immediately respond to emergencies as they arise, hopefully avoiding tragedies like the deadly school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde in May of last year.
Some districts, such as Dallas ISD, have struggled to comply with the new law, as reported in The Dallas Express.
Alongside making school campuses safer, Duncanville ISD police aim “to build positive interaction between law enforcement” and the student body.
In service of this goal, a representative from the Duncanville ISD police can be found on every school campus and is at the disposal of educators and students alike.
For Lambert and his team, security isn’t just about cameras and locks. It’s about building relationships.
“Speaking with the student on [a] different level sometimes we get a lot more different information coming out than they would say to their principal or the teacher. So we try to have a relationship with them to where we see what’s going on in that individual’s life and not take just for face value,” explained Lambert.
Lambert is keen on ensuring that both parents and students have avenues to voice their concerns or report issues. The district’s official website now features a dedicated portal for anonymously reporting incidents of bullying or threats.
Duncanville ISD has also rolled out Talking Points, a system that facilitates communication by translating messages into any language, ensuring that families of all backgrounds feel included and informed.