Safe Schools News
- State guidance — The Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) has posted information related to the implemenation of 2019’s SB11. The info includes:-- A model policy for implementing the requirement that each school district establish campus level multidiciplinary Behavioral Threat Assessment Teams.-- A set of “best practices” to help school districts develop security and safety protocols for portable buildings.-- A questionnaire, and additional info posted for informational purposes only, to help school districts that fall under the upcoming district audit report (DAR) cycle for submitting the reports to the TxSSC.-- Updates to emergency drill recommendations, pending adoption of rules by the TEA in June.
- Federal guidance — The U.S. Department of Education has just launched (press release) a Federal School Safety Clearinghouse website at: SchoolSafety.Gov
The website is designed to be a one-stop shop of resources for K-12 administrators, educators, parents and law enforcement to use to prepare for and address various threats related to safety, security and support.
Raise Your Hand Texas
Poll: Texans Worried about Testing and Funding
A new statewide poll on Texans’ attitudes toward public education found they appreciate teachers, but have concerns about testing and the lack of funding for schools.
The poll, commissioned by the non-profit Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation, found that 77 percent of Texans express trust and confidence in their teachers, much higher than the 61 percent of Americans asked the same question in a similar national poll.
The Foundation modeled the poll after the longstanding national PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools.
Other major findings show that, while teachers are important to school quality, Texans believe they are undervalued. The poll specifically found:
- 93 percent of Texans say teacher quality is extremely or very important in overall school quality.
- 71 percent see teachers as undervalued in society.
- 70 percent say teacher pay is too low.
- 60 percent are not confident that state standardized tests effectively measure student learning.
- 59 percent believe their community’s public schools have too little money.
When rating public schools as a whole, the more closely connected respondents are to a school, the higher they rate it, a trend reflected in the national research.
The poll found 68 percent of Texas parents would give their oldest child’s campus an A or B grade.
Overall, 48 percent of Texans gave the schools in their community an A or B grade, higher than the 44 percent of Americans who gave their community’s schools the same high marks.
Private Group Offers Big Money for Tips on Crime
in Texas ISDs and other Governmental Entities
The privately funded GovernmentCrimestoppers.org website is offering to pay up to $5,000 for anonymous tips that pan out about parents who live outside of Dallas ISD but are using fraudulent residence documents and other means to enroll their children into the nationally recognized Booker T. Washington High School arts magnet campus.
GovernmentCrimestoppers, which is not affiliated with DISD or another governmental entity, says on its website that it started offering the reward in response to media reports of parents using cheating strategies to get their children into the magnet school, and that it will turn over any tips it receives to Dallas ISD or law enforcement for further investigation.
According to its website, the entity will also pay cash awards of up to $2,500 each for tips stemming from TEA investigations of Harlandale ISD and Donna ISD, and lists several other Texas governmental entities — including universities, cities, police departments and the Legislature — for which it is seeking tips in exchange for cash awards of up to $10,000.
GovernmentCrimestoppers also says it will pay monetary awards, with eligibility determined on a case-by-case basis about any other crime involving a Texas public official.
Includes $100,000 Payment to Teacher and her Attorney
ISD Settles Gay Teacher’s Discrimination Claim
Dallas/Fort Worth area media reported (Feb. 25) that a Mansfield ISD elementary art teacher who claimed in her lawsuit that the ISD discriminated against her because of her sexual orientation has reached a settlement with the district.
Part of the reported settlement calls for art teacher Stacy Bailey to get a letter of recommendation and a $100,000 payment to her and her attorney. Neither side admits liability or wrongdoing.
The settlement also reportedly requires, among other provisions: 1) for MISD records to no longer show she was investigated and suspended because of an accusation she was promoting a “homosexual agenda,” 2) she receive a letter of recommendation and 3) the district implement mandatory training for human resources and counseling staff in LGBTQ issues in schools and optional training for administrators, educators, staff and parents.
Bailey was placed on administrative leave for about eight months in 2017-18 after a parent complained that she was promoting a ”homosexual agenda” to her elementary students when, during a “Get to Know Your Teacher” slide show, she showed pictures of her dog, parents, friends and her then-fiancée, who is now her wife.
She was eventually transferred to a different MISD elementary.