VIDOR ISD police brief trustees on Raptor Alert app and lockdown training

Officer Julian Vandevender of the VIDOR ISD Police Department presented an overview of the Raptor Alert mobile application and the district’s use of the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) during the Oct. 13 board meeting.

Vandevender said the district has used the app for three years and that it supplements, but does not replace, existing emergency systems and PA announcements. He described a two-step activation in which staff sign in with district credentials and slide to initiate a campus alert; the app can also prompt an option to call 911. He emphasized safeguards intended to reduce false activations and noted the app’s group-messaging records are retained after an event.

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations. We fall to the level of our training," Vandevender told trustees as he explained why regular drills and rehearsals matter for classroom and campus response.

Trustees and staff discussed poster placement for the SRP (high-traffic hallways, cafeterias and foyers), and the board suggested posting the resources to the district website and ParentSquare to increase parent awareness. Vandevender confirmed the district follows state requirements for drill frequency, that lockdown drills should be announced to avoid undue panic, and that notifications via the app also reach partner agencies (Orange County Sheriff's Office, local fire departments and ESD 1) to speed multi-agency response.

Board members asked about past evacuation experiences and whether the district conducts joint response drills; Vandevender said multi-agency drills have been used and that real responses in the district resulted in broad local-agency turnout.

The board thanked Vandevender for the briefing and encouraged distribution of the SRP posters and online resources to families and staff.