PASADENA, Texas — Pasadena ISD presented a districtwide update on emergency management and campus safety measures at its Jan. 24 board meeting, detailing routine drills, new technology rollouts and student-focused prevention programs.

District staff member Derek told trustees the district follows state-required drills and supplements them with monthly fire drills (state requirement: twice per semester), twice‑annual lockdown drills, and shelter‑in‑place training for severe weather and hazardous‑materials scenarios. He said the district uses the state’s standard response protocols and the Department of Homeland Security’s “Run, Hide, Fight” guidance for active-threat training.

Nut graf: The district described a multi-layered approach that combines training, physical upgrades (access control, video management, entry-resistant film on exterior glass) and technology tools — including an anonymous reporting app and a wearable panic button system — that administrators said together reduce risks and accelerate response.

Key details presented

- Drills and training: Derek said staff and students (including substitutes, custodians and cafeteria workers) receive regular training and drills for threats ranging from active intruders to chemical incidents at nearby refineries. He noted that while fire drills are held monthly (above the state minimum), lockdowns and shelter-in-place trainings are practiced on a scheduled basis.

- Safe School Ambassadors: The district expanded a student peer‑intervention program, beginning in high schools and rolling out to middle and elementary campuses. Trained student ambassadors meet monthly with trustee staff and are intended to promote peer-to-peer intervention techniques and early reporting of concerns.

- Physical and technical upgrades: Derek said bond funds and grant funding are enabling installation of integrated access-control systems, upgraded video management and front-door video intercoms at many campuses. Exterior glass at main entrances has been retrofitted with entry‑resistant safety film (not bulletproof), and targeted fencing is being added where funding allows.

- Wearable alert badges (Syntegix Scribe Alert): The district is deploying a wearable badge for staff that, with the push of a button, can send individual or campus-wide alerts, integrate with public-address systems and notify police and external responders. Derek said the system replaces limitations of phone-app alerting and includes screen takeovers and strobes to ensure broad notification across facilities.

- Anonymous reporting and threat assessment: Derek said an anonymous 2‑way alert app remains in use; the district received more than 280 reports so far this school year and investigates each one. Campus and district threat-assessment teams evaluate reported concerns and coordinate supports or interventions as appropriate.

- District vulnerability assessment: Derek said the district completed a state-mandated vulnerability assessment and that TEA reviewers visited about 50 campuses. He reported the district received generally positive feedback and that most items the reviewers identified were routine mechanical or closure-related fixes.

Quotes and attribution

“Your students are very safe with us. We know how to handle them in these situations,” Derek told the board, summarizing the district’s emphasis on training for staff and students. He also described the wearable badge rollout as “a big undertaking” that will notify staff, students and police in an emergency.

Context and caveats

Derek emphasized that no single physical feature or program “solves” school safety; rather, he framed safety as an integrated set of mitigations that include staff training, mental-health supports, technology and facilities work. He also acknowledged the cost of many of these measures and credited grants and bond funds, plus the district’s grants department, for making some upgrades possible.

Ending

Trustees thanked Derek and other staff for the presentation and said they look forward to the formal vulnerability-assessment report due in the coming weeks.