EPISD’s Citizens Bond Advisory Committee talks safety with district’s security manager

The El Paso Independent School District’s Citizens Bond Advisory Committee held a meeting Wednesday evening.

The committee is made up of members from the community and they oversee effective and efficient use of the district’s bond funds.

The CBAC along with the district’s security staff talked about what many school administrators are talking about right now: school safety.

In 2016, voters approved a $668 million bond.

The district has 17 major projects that range from school renovations to new buses.

A year before that, the district underwent a security assessment that highlighted weaknesses and strengths of its campuses.

Following the assessment, nearly $800,000 of bond money was earmarked for security improvements that included motion sensors, fencing for campuses and lighting for buildings across the district.

At the meeting, security staff members spoke with committee members on how they are working with architects renovating campuses to improve school security.

“We understand the open learning, the 21st century open learning environment and that kind of pedagogy, but what we’re looking for is to understand that we also need areas of safe refuge, break-out areas and those have been incorporated into the plans,” said Manuel Chavira, EPISD’s safe and secure manager.

Officials told ABC-7 that although the 17 school projects will have state-of-the-art security, it doesn’t mean others schools won’t get upgrades.

The district is also looking into getting more security cameras and adding secured access entries and security doors throughout the district.