JOSHUA — Already among Johnson County’s more progressive school districts, Joshua ISD is now at the forefront of emergency preparedness.
Cleburne, Burleson and Joshua law enforcement and fire personnel on Tuesday attended a dual-session program at Joshua High called Rapid Responder to bring themselves up to speed on safety procedures at all Joshua ISD campuses.
Among measures already implemented are digitally mapped schools, databased photographs and floor plans of facilities, locations of utility shutoffs and other tactical considerations.
Theoretically, a response team could access campus data in a computer and know how to handle any emergency. But theory must still be put in practice.
“What we’ve learned is that after every one of these [incidents], we have to sit down and talk about it and debrief and find out what we learned,” assistant superintendent John Grigsby said.
“We talk about what we messed up, what we liked, what we’re going to keep doing. We had a bomb threat [recently], and we lost 45 minutes just because we told people to lock doors. They don’t need to be locked. They need to be closed.
“Because we had to search every room, we had to bring in a civilian to unlock the doors to every room.”
Grigsby said he learned about Rapid Responder from a friend in education.
“We looked at it and found a grant that would allow us to access it,” he said. “We got two grants from the Department of Education. We’re working with Burleson and Cleburne first responders.”
The system is in place. In Tuesday’s training session, school district and emergency personnel accessed it online.
Grigsby said the software was implemented at the beginning of the summer.
“Now, we have to update it,” he said. “We moved one building. We changed the entryways at most campuses because we added security systems.
“The floorplans from June were changed in July and August. Those can be changed [in the computer database]. We don’t know how easily.”
Joshua school officials are finding that security is affected by seemingly minuscule factors.
“We never worried about streamers hanging down in the halls,” Grigsby said. “We do now because they block video cameras. We have to change the way we decorate. We have to be careful where we put cameras.
“Security wasn’t something we used to worry about. Now, we worry about how many lockers are not locked. Could someone hide something in them?”
Teachers and staff feel better protected, Grigsby said, if slightly inconvenienced.
“They have to park farther from the building. They can’t just enter through any door at any time of day. They’re working through that."
Education
Related Photos
-
Burleson police officers Brent Batla, left, and Chris Havens study computer materials for Joshua ISD Rapid Responder program during emergency preparedness session Tuesday at Joshua High School. Pete Kendall/Times-Review
Discussion
District at forefront of emergency preparedness
- Cleburne ISD
-
Coleman Elementary School science teacher Suzanne Crocker, left, and Principal Karen Snyder give trustees information on a $30,000 grant made available to the school from Chesapeake Energy. The grant funds will be used in the creation of an outdoor learning center at the campus.
-
CISD hires Wheat principal, joins litigation
Wheat Middle School students have a new principal as of Monday night, but it’s a familiar face. At the Cleburne ISD board meeting, trustees announced that Interim Principal Suzanne Keesee was promoted to principal.
- Students create masterpieces through fingerprint artwork
- Miller addresses Young, board, hiring process
- In the spirit
- Alleged posts may spell trouble for trustee
-
CISD hires Wheat principal, joins litigation
- Alvarado ISD
-
Bryson King helps pick up trash on Friday with his fellow first-grade students from Alvarado Elementary North.
-
AEN students serve community
School is not always about learning letters and numbers or finding the answers to questions in a book.
- Annual AEIS report shows improvements
- Choir, band students earn state recognition
- AISD board reviews super
- Alvarado board honors teachers
-
AEN students serve community
- Burleson ISD
-
-
BISD heads to Austin to plan next step in lawsuit
The Burleson school district and other representatives from a coalition of Texas urban and suburban districts head to Austin on Sunday, seeking a court order that the state’s finance system be changed.
- Centennial students chosen for all-state band
- Burleson ISD dropout rate remains low
- Most school districts celebrate Christmas
- BISD needs to make cuts, says financial officer
-
BISD heads to Austin to plan next step in lawsuit
- Godley ISD
-
-
Parents want ISDs to be aware
Stephanie Falter and Lisa Chambers, two concerned Godley ISD mothers, said they are pleased their children no longer wait for the bus in front of sex offenders’ homes.
- GISD bus stops moved, deemed safe by district
- Dear in new role as GISD super
- Godley ag students learn how to feed, shear livestock
- Most school districts celebrate Christmas
-
Parents want ISDs to be aware
- Grandview ISD
-
Grandview Zebra Strings Elite teacher and conductor Vicki Nichols shows off a wall of practice violins in her music room. The Strings are headed to Nashville, Tenn., in March.
-
Zebra Strings to perform at Grand Ole Opry in Nashville
Last year, the Grandview Zebra Strings Elite visited the land of all things Elvis in Memphis, Tenn., where they played several shows including one at Graceland. This year, they’ve been invited to perform at an even bigger venue.
- Grandview school board selects super
- Most school districts celebrate Christmas
- Masons give first-graders dental care kits
- Tekell named Grandview homecoming queen
-
Zebra Strings to perform at Grand Ole Opry in Nashville
- Joshua ISD
-
-
Joshua band performs at national championship game
The Joshua High School band spent its weekend in New Orleans on an invitation to perform during halftime of the Bowl Championship Series game between Louisiana State University and the University of Alabama.
- Holly, jolly follies
- Most school districts celebrate Christmas
- Expanding minds
- County schools offering healthier options
-
Joshua band performs at national championship game
- Keene ISD
-
-
Most school districts celebrate Christmas
Ask most of the school districts in Johnson County how they feel about “Merry Christmas” or Santa Claus, and the response is the same. Christmas is welcome in most schools, so long as students take care to not play favorites with individual gifts.
- County schools offering healthier options
- TAKS results vary for Johnson County schools
- Callender steps down as Keene superintendent
- For county spellers, it’s quite a safari out there
-
Most school districts celebrate Christmas
- Rio Vista ISD
-
Rio Vista High School counselor, Kathy Monk, left, received her 20-year pin at the State Middle School Student Council Conference. Monk was recognized for her years of service as a student council sponsor. Also pictured is Terry Hamm, Texas Association of Student Council director.
- Venus ISD
-
-
Venus ISD closed today
Venus ISD is closed today, according to the district's website. As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, there was no word on Thursday's classes.
- TAKS results vary for Johnson County schools
-
Venus ISD closed today
