The discussion to allow educators to bear arms in the classrooms has taken front and center stage following December’s mass shooting in a Newtown, Connecticut, school. There are now talks about the State paying for specialized firearms training for teachers and administrators to guard against school shootings. Since the implausible act in Newtown, I’ve addressed some educators about weapons on school property. In BISD we adhere to the policy spelled out on page 22 of our employee handbook, which prohibits weapons on or near our facilities.
Unlike the majority of Southeast Texas School Districts, BISD has a unified police department that consists of 25 Texas licensed officers and 20 private security officers (PSOs.) BISD also has a state of the art dispatch center, from which the interior of our campuses are monitored closely by using cameras placed strategically throughout our schools. BISD’s officers train annually with the Beaumont Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on working jointly in dealing with emergencies that may arise. However, there is never too much training; and everyone has a role to play in keeping our schools safe.
I’ve asked Police Chief Clydell Duncan and other key staff members to review our policies and procedures as they relate to police presence, how we handle threats, and potential security breaches at our facilities. Your feedback is important; let us know what works well at your campus as well as what we can do better because as we have witnessed most recently and from the distant past with school shootings.
We must never get complacent when it comes to fostering a safe environment for BISD’s almost 20,000 prized possessions. I have faith you will do your best to protect Beaumont’s children and keep them out of harm’s way. I encourage you to remain alert and inform our police department and counseling staff of potential problems.
Focused on every child every day
-Dr. Timothy Chargois