November 30, 2023 — Regular Meeting
Conroe ISD Board Meeting — 2023-11-30
Regular Meeting — Unofficial Notes
Based on auto-generated transcript. Not an official record.
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Unofficial Meeting Notes
Conroe ISD School Safety and Security Committee
Regular Meeting — November 30, 2023
Note: These are unofficial notes based on an auto-generated transcript of the meeting. They are not official minutes and may contain errors or omissions.
Meeting Called to Order: 4:01 PM
Adjourned: 5:15 PM (following closed session)
Next Meeting: Spring 2024 (March or April — to be announced)
Item 1: Approval of Minutes
- Minutes from the previous meeting were emailed out in advance.
- No corrections or changes were raised.
- Motion to approve: Ethan (last name not stated)
- Second: Chief (last name not stated)
- Vote: Approved unanimously by show of hands.
Item 2: Staying Safe School Safety Response Training (Texas School Safety Center)
Presenters: Captain Hook (referenced), Chief Blakelock
Background:
- The Texas School Safety Center developed a curriculum called "Staying Safe" — a school safety response training focused on alert/run/hide/fight concepts (avoid, deny, defend) aimed at students.
- The district currently uses the CRASE (Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events) model to train staff and community members, but has not taught a similar curriculum directly to students.
- Committee approval was required before district personnel could attend the train-the-trainer session.
Key Discussion Points:
- The training would be a 6-hour train-the-trainer session held at a regional center (Huntsville).
- At least three staff members would need to attend (tiered for high school, junior high, and elementary implementation).
- Attending the training does not commit the district to implementing the program. Multiple districts have declined the program after review.
- Chief Blakelock emphasized the importance of ensuring that if students are trained, it does not undermine teachers' ability to control and direct students during an emergency.
- Concerns were raised about overtraining students at secondary campuses where threats are typically internal, potentially giving bad actors insight into response protocols.
- No students would attend the training — this is for adult district staff only.
Motion: Dr. N. (last name unclear) moved to approve sending staff to the training.
Second: Received (name unclear)
Vote: Approved unanimously by show of hands.
Item 3: Bond Funding for Districtwide Safety and Security
Presenters: Mr. McCord, Mr. Foster, Dr. Winkler
Overview of Funding Sources
Bond Funds:
- $35 million allocated for safety and security in the November 2023 bond referendum.
- Covers approximately 75 campuses over four years.
- Key limitation: Bond funds cannot be used for personnel/salary — only capital improvements.
- Reminder that even $35 million will not cover everything; decisions on priorities are necessary.
State Grant — School Safety Standards Grant:
- Awarded $2.8 million (spring 2023) — used to encapsulate 27 elementary schools with 6-foot black galvanized slatted fencing and made progress on 3 additional schools.
State Grant — SAFE Grant Cycle 1:
- Awarded $10.1 million (recently announced).
- Planned uses:
- Install impact-resistant film on all exterior glass doors and immediate adjacent windows district-wide (all schools) — achieving full Chapter 61 compliance well ahead of the August 2024 deadline.
- Remaining funds to complete 6-foot slatted fencing at all remaining elementary and intermediate schools.
- SAFE Grant Cycle 2 expected in spring 2024 (formulaic, non-competitive); district hoping for approximately $1 million.
Chapter 61 Compliance (Commissioner's Rules — School Facilities)
- Effective August 2024, all exterior perimeter doors with glass inserts and immediately adjacent windows must have either impact-resistant film or be behind a secure enclosed area.
- The fencing creates anti-scaling enclosed areas (not full perimeter — typically back/side of schools).
- Egress gates are required for emergency exit.
Impact-Resistant Film Testing:
- Before demolishing an end-of-life building at Conroe High School, the district applied the film and had officers test it with metal bars, rocks, and other tools.
- Officers found it virtually impossible to breach in a timely manner — described as phenomenal in delaying unauthorized entry.
Proposed Uses of Bond Funds (Mr. Foster)
| Category | Details | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Access Control (Exterior) | ~20 additional card readers per campus to eliminate physical keys from exterior doors | ~$5,000 per door opening |
| Parking Lot Gates | Pipe gates to secure parking lots during emergencies/weekends | ~$5,000–$6,000 per driveway |
| Security Camera Lifecycle Replacement | Replace aging cameras, servers (~$18–20K each), and components | ~$25,000–$30,000/building for partial; ~$200,000/elementary for full system upgrade |
| Secure Corridors (New Concept) | Retrofit hallways to create secured grade-level "pods" at elementary/intermediate schools, allowing doors to open within secured zones | ~$15,000 per opening; 6–20 openings per campus depending on layout |
| Safety & Communications Equipment | Police radios (~$5,000 each), in-car radios (~$5,000), radio repeaters (~$1/sq ft), lifecycle replacements | Varies; repeater system ~$500,000+ for large campus |
Note: If all items were pursued across all campuses, costs would exceed $35 million.
Secure Corridors Discussion (Dr. Winkler)
- Current locked-door policy creates isolation for teachers and students, reduces instructional time (lost minutes unlocking/relocking doors), and limits collaboration during intervention periods.
- New elementary prototype features secured "pods" by grade level with keycarded entry points, interior bathrooms, and visibility.
- Some existing campuses (e.g., Ford Elementary, Haley Elementary) could be retrofitted with this concept relatively easily.
- Benefits: Added security layer, improved community/collaboration, better temperature regulation, increased instructional time.
AI-Based Weapons Detection Discussion
Raised by: Jason (committee member)
- Described Zero Eyes and similar AI weapons detection software that overlays on existing camera systems.
- Technology detects weapons via AI, then a human reviewer confirms before triggering alerts (~3-second detection).
- Cost: ~$100 per camera (subscription-based); estimated ~$150,000/year per high school campus.
- District has approximately 15,000 cameras currently used primarily for recording/deterrent — not actively monitored in real-time at most campuses.
- Multiple vendors exist (Zero Eyes, 21st Century AI, and 12+ others).
- Bond funds cannot be used for software subscriptions — would need to come from operating budget or potentially grant funds.
- Committee expressed strong interest in exploring further.
Action Items (No Formal Votes — Direction Given):
- Mr. Foster received direction to proceed with planning for:
- 100% exterior door access control on new builds and retrofits
- Secure corridor retrofits at applicable campuses
- Continuing camera lifecycle replacements
- Parking lot gates
- Communications equipment lifecycle management
- District will explore AI weapons detection vendors through proper procurement/RFP process; potential subcommittee may be formed.
- Staff to investigate whether grant funds could offset subscription-based costs.
Item 4: Fentanyl Awareness Update
Presenters: Miss Robertson, Miss Rodriguez
Actions Taken:
- Health Services and Guidance & Counseling websites contain substance use information for families.
- Developed "One Pill Kills" information cards using TEA toolkit — distributed to high schools, junior highs, and intermediate schools.
- Collaborated with the American Heart Association on an informational flyer distributed to all school nurses.
- Narcan (naloxone) expanded to ALL Conroe ISD campuses this school year (previously only junior highs and high schools since January 2023).
- October social media campaign using TEA toolkit shared district-wide.
- "Hidden in Plain Sight" community presentation on substance use warning signs and prevention.
Key Context:
- Narcan has been used on at least two occasions in the district.
- Dr. N. emphasized fentanyl is a significant real-world issue and praised the team for being proactive ahead of any legislative mandate.
- Compared Narcan deployment to the district's AED program, which has had four successful life-saving deployments in district history, including a recent incident at an elementary school where a student with no prior medical history went into distress and was revived through CPR and AED use. The student was taken to ICU and recovered.
Item 5: Rave 911 Implementation Update
Presenters: Captain Hook (referenced), Chief Blakelock
Status: Fully implemented district-wide.
Key Details:
- All teachers and substitutes can download and access the Rave 911 app.
- All district facilities are geofenced within the system.
- Over 5,000 employees have fully completed the app download (approximately 50%+ of staff).
- The system has been used effectively multiple times since implementation — including for athletic injuries at football games, demonstrating improved communication.
- Successfully tested at three different campuses with three different alert types (including active assailant), coordinated with 911 dispatch.
Concerns Raised (by Jason/911 perspective):
- A rash of false alarms is occurring across the region (not at CISD) — including two false active assailant button presses at other districts/private schools.
- Employees should be discouraged from testing the system without coordination; a test mode can be activated by notifying 911 dispatch.
- CISD's training approach appears to be working — no false alarm incidents from CISD.
Phase 2 — In Progress:
- Working with 911 and outside law enforcement to extend active assailant alerts to external law enforcement agencies within the geographic area, enabling faster multi-agency response.
Item 6: Closed Session
- Committee entered closed session at 5:05 PM pursuant to Texas Open Meetings Act Sections 551.07 and 551.089 (security-related matters).
- Returned to open session at 5:15 PM.
- No action or votes were reported from the closed session.
Item 7: Adjournment
- Meeting adjourned at approximately 5:15 PM.
- Next meeting scheduled for Spring 2024 (March or April — date TBD).
Summary of Key Outcomes
| Item | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Minutes Approval | Approved unanimously |
| Staying Safe Training | Approved unanimously — Staff authorized to attend train-the-trainer session; no commitment to implement |
| Bond Funding Direction | Direction given (no vote) — Proceed with access control, secure corridors, camera lifecycle, parking gates, communications equipment; explore AI detection through procurement process |
| Fentanyl Awareness | Information received — Narcan expanded to all campuses; multiple awareness initiatives underway |
| Rave 911 | Information received — Fully implemented; 5,000+ users; Phase 2 (multi-agency alerts) in progress |
| Closed Session | No reportable action taken |