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Tallis trustees hear safety and security update; district 100% on required assessments ahead of DBA
Summary
District staff told the board the district completed required behavioral threat assessments and intruder audits with no findings and reported work to prepare for an upcoming district vulnerability assessment; a TxDOT pedestrian crossing proposal for Tyler High remains pending an October funding decision.
At a meeting of the Tallis Board of Trustees, district safety staff reported the district completed required safety work for 2024–25 and is preparing for a district vulnerability assessment scheduled for the week of March 26. Agent David Goodson told trustees the district completed 46 behavioral threat assessments last year, that all were cleared, and that starting Aug. 1 those assessments must be uploaded to the state's Sentinel repository monthly.
The report also said the district had no findings on its intruder door audits for 2024–25 — the third consecutive year without findings — and that those audits will resume in September once Region 7 assigns a replacement auditor. Chief Walsworth and Goodson told trustees the district has checked every exterior door and updated campus maps and response protocols ahead of the planned district vulnerability assessment.
Goodson said the Texas School Safety Center updates — including the district Emergency Operations Plan and active-threat annex — were signed by Dr. Crawford and will be submitted when the portal opens in September. He also said the district is waiting on a TxDOT decision in October about a pedestrian crossing project at Tyler High; staff told the board they provided requested materials to TxDOT and that, if approved, the agency would fully fund the construction, but the exact awarded amount was not specified.
Board members asked for clarification on how behavioral threat assessments are triggered and who can access campuses with district badges. Goodson explained a behavioral threat assessment is completed when a student brings a weapon or makes threats and that the forms are typically three pages and may be lengthier when needed. He said central-admin badges do not automatically open every campus; access must be coded for the card or explicitly granted for job duties such as principal mentorships.
Trustees discussed the scope of the upcoming district vulnerability assessment and noted the assessment can identify issues ranging from door repairs to procedural or training shortfalls. Goodson and Chief Walsworth cautioned that some vulnerability findings will be handled in executive session to avoid public disclosure of security weaknesses.
The board did not take formal action on safety items during the public portion of the meeting; staff said they will return with required reports after the district vulnerability assessment and when appropriate per public-meeting rules.
