In one way or another, over the past few months, I have received the question, "What are you doing to keep our school safe?". Parents and the community rightfully become anxious about school safety when we receive a report of a fight at school, a social media threat, an aggressive text message, or a student found with a weapon. I receive calls asking to increase police presence or add armed guards on every campus. People have asked us to install metal detectors, add barbed wire to the top of our fences, and limit or even search through all items students bring to school. We could do this, and some would say we are turning our schools into prisons. Sadly, even in prisons, acts of violence occur, and weapons are recovered.

I do not want to turn our schools into prisons. I want to build school culture and school pride. I want students to come to school and receive the academic and social skills and support they need to add value to their lives and our society.

For all this to happen, the campus must be a safe place. Pearland ISD has implemented several infrastructure and procedural upgrades. (Please see below). We continue to review and address safety concerns brought to our attention. We are currently participating in safety audits at each campus. Safety is not a passive action.

Beyond our efforts, we implore parents and guardians to engage with their students and help educate them about appropriate social media behavior, follow their conversations over gaming platforms, and talk to them about responding positively to stress. Let them know that making any type of threat is not a joke. Continue to reinforce that it takes everyone to keep school safe. Our See Something, Say Something program is an excellent prevention tool. Please call the campus if your student expresses concern or needs support.

Every day, we work to ensure that all students come to school to learn and return home safely - our plans may change, but our goals never will. It takes all of us to build Pearland proud and keep it safe.

Thank you!