North Texas school leaders on Thursday got a preview of some of the security enhancements the Texas Education Agency is requiring in schools statewide.
The TEA is requiring glass doors and large windows to be reinforced with a window film. The standard thickness set by the state is 8 millimeters. The entry-resistant film would be placed on glass entries that are large enough to allow someone to enter if broken.
Districts can apply for $400,000 as part of the Texas State Legislature's approved budget to replace or upgrade doors, windows, fencing, communications and other safety measures to get compliant with the new Texas school safety standardsWith funding now on the table, school districts explore the resources needed for their campuses.
“If we can put preventative measures in place that can stop it or prevent it from, then that's what we need to do,” said Lynelle Sparks, the executive director of the Texas Association of School Resource Officers and school resource officer coordinator sergeant for the Hillsboro Independent School District.
On Thursday, she and other school representatives met in Dallas as part of their research for bids and requests for proposals to enhance safety measures. Spark wanted to consider a film thicker than the state’s standard. She said a more durable film could give law enforcement a better chance to stop the intruder.“Laminate can protect them, give them that extra time because we know that school shootings happen very quickly and most of those tragedies are within three minutes,” Sparks said. “It's three minutes for law enforcement that are not in there. So, if there's only one of us, it's still three more minutes.
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