Intruder-detection audits find latched-door problems at two Alamo Heights ISD campuses; corrective actions filed

Alamo Heights Independent School District officials told trustees on Sept. 17 that two recent intruder‑detection audits turned up door‑securing problems that the district has moved to correct. Frank Stanley, the presenter for the district’s intruder‑detection audit briefing, said the audits were conducted under the Texas School Safety Center process and that the district received formal reports after each visit. "When a visit finds no issues, the superintendent receives a report saying no findings. When a visit finds any issues, the superintendent receives a report with the findings," Stanley said.

The district reported that an audit at Howard Early Childhood Center on Sept. 5 found an exterior door that did not latch when allowed to close on its own. At Cambridge Elementary, an audit on Sept. 9 found an auditorium door that had been propped open with a screw and noted that four portable classroom doors inside the secured area were in the locked but not latched position. Chief Eddie Ray, identified in the meeting as the district safety coordinator, submitted corrective actions for the Howard finding, and Stanley told trustees that the Howard finding has been closed.

Stanley said corrective actions at Cambridge have been completed for the auditorium door but that the Cambridge audit remains open while the portable classroom door finding is addressed. He described the audits as part of the state’s intruder‑detection program, which complements other safety measures the district already uses, including emergency operations plans, single points of access, secure vestibules, surveillance video and school resource officers.

Stanley also told trustees that districts in Texas must review and revise their emergency operations plans annually and conduct triannual comprehensive safety audits. He said intruder‑detection audits are performed by auditors trained by the Texas School Safety Center and may be conducted on an announced or unannounced site visit. The presenter said district staff will discuss audit details further in the executive session that followed the public meeting.

Trustees did not take a formal public vote on the audits during the open meeting; Stanley said he would address further questions in executive session. The district’s posted agenda and the presenter’s remarks indicate corrective steps have been filed and that one audit will remain open until the portable classroom doors are verified as latched.

The superintendent and district safety coordinator were listed as the points of contact; Stanley said the superintendent receives the official audit reports and any required corrective‑action documentation.