Dear Mansfield ISD Community:

Our commitment as a district has been, and will continue to be, that every one of our students and staff members feel safe and secure when coming into our buildings.

With the events that transpired at Timberview High School last week, we have been taking an even closer look at our systems, analyzing what is working and assessing what needs to be improved upon.

Please know that we are forming ways in which the community can voice their input pertaining to school safety, and our school safety committee—comprised of students, staff, parents and community members—will be reestablished to help review systematic procedures and determine the next best steps.

In the meantime, we have implemented changes at all Mansfield ISD schools to enhance our safety and security processes even more. Effective immediately, MISD schools will have these heightened physical security measures:

• The Mansfield ISD Police Department will be partnering with neighboring agencies to ensure that more law enforcement is available at our campuses.
• There will be a designated staff member at the district level, who is fully trained in safety and security, to assist campuses in monitoring high-traffic and common areas in real time through our video surveillance systems.
• In addition, random classroom checks will be implemented on our secondary campuses to check for weapons and other unauthorized objects using metal detector wands.

These protocols are in addition to our current Emergency Operations Plan and will remain in place until the safety committee finalizes its recommendations. Although the above measures go into effect immediately, the conversation with the community surrounding safety and security at our schools will be ongoing.

You will be receiving an invitation to attend a Town Hall Meeting in the near future. The meeting will be scheduled with the goal of opening a dialogue between MISD officials alongside law enforcement and district stakeholders. Additionally, it will provide an opportunity to ask questions and offer suggestions about student safety. We want to be proactive about safety, so topics like social-emotional learning and our threat assessment reporting will also be included in those conversations.

We take the safety, security and well-being of our students and staff very seriously, and it will remain our top priority. I appreciate your support and cooperation as we work through this process together.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kimberley Cantu
Superintendent