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Denton ISD students tell board trusted adults, visible safety staff and relationships make schools feel safe
Summary
Three members of Denton ISD’s student advisory council told trustees that trusted adults, visible school safety staff and supportive classroom culture are what make campuses feel safe, while district staff described tools such as the Stop It anonymous reporting system and a multi-tiered behavioral framework.
At the Oct. 28 Denton ISD board meeting, three members of the district’s student advisory council described what a safe and supportive school looks like to students and urged trustees to prioritize relationships with adults on campus.
Charlie, a student from Denton High School, told the board that students want “to feel respected and loved by our peers, and we wanna feel safe and supported in our schools like we belong there.” Sofia and Ed, student representatives from Ryan High and LeGron Academy, joined Charlie in highlighting the importance of a trusted adult they can turn to and daily, visible interactions with teachers and security staff.
District leaders framed the students’ remarks inside the Safe and Supportive Schools program, a cross-department effort that brings counseling, intervention services, health services, safety and security, and campus teams together. Dr. Lacey Rainey and staff said students were invited to present because their perspective is central to designing supports.
Students discussed specific supports, including the district’s Stop It anonymous reporting system. Dr. Thompson noted the district has had “about 200 different reports since the start of this year,” and students said that while the app is a useful option, many prefer reporting to a trusted adult in the building.
Board members pressed the students on whether a recently enacted statewide cell-phone ban had affected reporting, and students said the ban made classroom interactions more frequent but made on-the-spot phone communication with parents harder in an emergency. Trustees and staff used the exchange to emphasize balancing technology-based reporting with relationship-based supports.
The presentation concluded with trustees thanking the students and noting the district will continue working to scale practices from smaller campuses (such as LeGron Academy) to larger high schools. The board did not take action; the student presentations were informational and intended to shape ongoing implementation of the Safe and Supportive Schools program.
