SAN ANTONIO — The Bexar County Legislative Delegation hosted a series of panels addressing school safety and security as families send their children back to the classroom this fall.
Judson ISD Superintendent Dr. Jeanette Ball and Northside ISD Superintendent Dr. Brian Woods joined the delegation to discuss campus security.
Following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, districts have reexamined their protocols and procedures to best keep students and staff safe. Dr. Woods said this summer, there has been an increased emphasis on safety audits and checking exterior doors, especially.
At last count this week, NISD staff had checked roughly 29,000 interior and exterior doors across the campus. This year, Dr. Woods said the district will be doubling down on procedures.
Dr. Ball said JISD is preparing their community for "inconveniences" to be thorough with safety.
"People will have to wait a little bit longer to check in, they might not be easily allowed into our building, but those inconveniences are for a purpose," she said.
She also added the district would need more funding to better secure schools, such as fencing in open campuses and infrastructure for cameras.
Local law enforcement joined the summit to discuss training, collaborating with other agencies, and the sharing of resources.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar expressed his confidence in the agencies response if an active shooter situation were to happen at an area school.
"Absolutely we're trying to prevent that situation, but if it were to occur, I know exactly how all of these agencies up here were to respond, we're gonna get in there, we're gonna stop the killing, and we're gonna stop the dying," he said.
More funding for law enforcement was also addressed.
Edgewood ISD Police Chief Jesse Quiroga said the district would use extra funding to purchase reactive equipment to neutralize threats, but would also want to better secure schools and invest in prevention programs and mental health resources.
The full summit can be viewed here.