KIPP Texas outlines TEA intruder-detection audits; reports six findings across campuses this year

Timbre Simon, deputy chief of school-based operations for KIPP Texas, presented the district’s response to Texas Education Agency intruder detection audits during the Feb. 26 board meeting, describing the TEA process and KIPP’s current safety practices.

Simon said TEA’s intruder detection audit evaluates school safety on physical and procedural criteria and is conducted once a year at each campus, typically unannounced. “For this school year, we have had 26 intruder detection audits across our campuses, and we’ve had 6 findings during those,” Simon said.

Simon described KIPP Texas practices that exceed TEA’s baseline requirements: where TEA requires one door check per week, KIPP said it performs door checks three times a day with different staff members; the system covers “a little over 1,000 doors” across campuses, she said. Simon also said KIPP staffs two overlapping guard shifts at times and maintains a classroom door-closed-and-locked policy.

According to Simon, TEA assigns corrective actions for findings that typically include staff retraining, action plans to address deficiencies, and public notification at board meetings. She said the system of retraining and action plans is in place and that the board’s safety and security committee would discuss next steps the following week. Simon said the most recent finding would be discussed further in executive session.

The presentation did not result in an immediate board vote; Simon said leadership would pursue retraining and action plans and bring details to the safety and security committee and to the executive session as appropriate.