Laredo ISD recommends Raptor panic‑alert system; TEA vulnerability review highlights additional security steps

Doctor Perez, district safety staff, presented an evaluation committee recommendation to procure Raptor Technologies’ silent panic alert system at a cost of $214,882.51, using SAFE Cycle 1 funding. The system would distribute badge‑style panic buttons with Wi‑Fi and cellular (Verizon) capability and monitoring; staff said the devices can route alerts to campus administration, district police and 911 dispatch and display the device’s location based on installed hubs.

Perez said the committee reviewed multiple vendors and selected Raptor based on features and funding availability. Trustees asked operational questions about recipients of alerts, whether triangulation would indicate an exact location and how staff and students would be trained; Perez said alerts could be routed to campus administrators, police and dispatch and that the system’s hubs would indicate location.

Trustees discussed allowable uses of SAFE Cycle funds. Perez and others said earlier budget constraints prevented an earlier purchase, but the extension of SAFE Cycle 1 funding made the acquisition feasible now. Trustees also asked whether the district had considered supplemental pay for officers (an allowable use in some districts under later cycles); staff said officer supplement would be a cycle‑2 decision and that sustainability concerns limited prior use of cycle money for recurring pay.

In the same meeting, staff presented TEA’s preliminary district vulnerability assessment (site visits May 6–7) covering 23 campuses. The TEA report noted best practices already in place (daily door checks, evident emergency management planning and window film) and suggested additional measures including vestibules for main entrances, numbering of all exterior doors (including mechanical rooms) for maps, signage to discourage door propping, tabletop incident‑command exercises for principals and police, additional stop‑the‑bleed kits and consideration of good‑cause exemptions. Trustees and staff discussed the tradeoffs of adding security technologies, staffing and a central monitoring command center; trustees emphasized the need to balance security gains with operational staffing and educational impacts.

Staff did not record a formal procurement vote during the committee meeting; the recommendation will be brought forward for board consideration with funding details.