KIPP Texas safety committee reviews TEA intruder-detection audits; staff say findings are fixable

KIPP Texas Public Schools’ Safety and Security Committee reviewed results of Texas Education Agency intruder detection audits at a Jan. 15, 2026, meeting and heard that TEA completed 22 audits across the network in 2025–26 and issued five findings.

Tembury Simon, deputy chief of school operations, described the TEA process — conducted in coordination with the Texas School Safety Center under Texas Education Code §37.1084 — as an unannounced evaluation of both physical and procedural safety measures. "When TEA comes to our campus, they will first try to enter the school undetected," Simon said, and auditors check exterior doors, front-office documentation of door checks, and classroom practices.

Simon told the committee KIPP Texas exceeds the TEA minimums in several ways: staff perform three door checks each day (rather than the weekly check required by TEA), the district cross-references door-check results with a facilities ticketing system to log and fix problems, two armed guards work overlapping shifts at campuses, and classroom doors are required to be closed and locked during instruction.

For the 2025–26 school year, Simon said TEA conducted 22 intruder detection audits at KIPP Texas campuses and issued five findings. He described the findings as the result of "a couple of flukes, and a couple of human errors" and added, "I do I do not believe there are any major concerns in our systems or in our facilities." TEA-assigned corrective actions, Simon said, include staff retraining, creation of plans of action to remedy deficiencies, public notification at board meetings, and follow-up monitoring.

The committee adjourned to executive session at 5:10 p.m. under Texas Government Code §§551.076 and 551.0761 to discuss security devices, personnel-audit matters (including TEA security audit items) and cybersecurity. The meeting returned to open session at 5:25 p.m.

The committee also took a routine procedural vote to approve the minutes from its Oct. 2025 meeting. Darla Whitaker moved to approve the minutes; Saba Ali seconded. The motion passed unanimously (reported as a 7–0 vote).

Tembury Simon said the committee’s next meeting is scheduled for March 4, when members will continue reviewing any new TEA intruder detection audit findings. A committee member also reported attending a tabletop exercise hosted by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office alongside Craig, the district’s director of safety, and described the interagency training as a valuable preparedness opportunity.

The committee closed at 5:29 p.m. with no further public action scheduled until the March meeting.