McKinney Independent School District staff briefed trustees Monday on an intruder-detection audit conducted by the Texas School Safety Center, along with ongoing security upgrades and staff training aimed at reducing campus vulnerabilities.

Senior Director for Safety and Security Russell May told the board that the Texas School Safety Center’s intruder-detection audit examined whether campuses were accessible to unauthorized individuals and helped identify steps to improve exterior-door security and other vulnerabilities. May said the district is coordinating remediation with the district safety committee and that auditing details will be discussed in executive session and with the safety committee rather than released publicly because publishing specifics could compromise security.

May and other staff described several technology and training initiatives under way. The district is using a statewide data warehouse called Sentinel to aggregate safety-related audits, vulnerability tests and other security data across Texas districts. Campus-level improvements listed by staff include new weapon-detection systems at stadium entrances, upgraded two-way radios, and expansion of Verkada camera systems (pan-tilt-zoom units) at high schools and stadiums. Staff provided a short demonstration of PTZ camera “sentry” and automatic-tracking features, noting high-resolution imagery and motion-based zooming that helps identify activity on campus grounds.

May said the district also uses an online content-filtering and monitoring system (referred to in the presentation as Deladeo), which scans network traffic for keywords and behaviors tied to harm-to-self, harm-to-others, or campus threats and alerts an outsourced monitoring vendor as configured. Staff emphasized that the filter is tuned to safety-related signals and that further tailoring could be added for additional categories if needed.

District staff also described extensive safety training across campuses. All high school staff had attended ALERT/CRAZY-type active-shooter response training and the district has trained more than 800 staff in youth mental-health first-aid. May highlighted monthly drills (lockdown, shelter, evacuations) and the district’s work with School Resource Officers and outside partners on drills and preparedness. A staff presentation also noted partnerships with local organizations for counseling and wellness services and described recent increases in clinic visits and counseling sessions as part of broader well-being efforts.

Trustees asked whether students are told cameras exist and how monitoring is targeted; staff replied that students know cameras are present but that specific camera capabilities are not disclosed publicly. Trustees also asked about whether cameras are placed in bathrooms and staff said cameras are placed strategically in public campus areas and SROs and administrators handle interior concerns according to policy.

May said the intruder-detection audit’s specific findings will be discussed in executive session and shared with the district safety-and-security committee; the public summary will focus on the district’s work to train staff, strengthen access control, and expand technology that supports situational awareness and response.