Safety audits shows MISD on track for ‘20-’21

The Marlin Independent School District Board of Managers were presented with the most recent Safety Audit, given by Marlin ISD Police Chief John Simmons, in their specially called meeting on May 7.

A Safety Audit is done in each district once every three years, with the current cycle ending on Aug. 31. The audit process is based on the continuous monitoring both by MISD Police officials and other staff members of safety and security practices. 

The first part of the report covers demographics. There are less than 1,000 students at MISD, all on a free or reduced lunch program. Fifteen to 17 percent of students have limited english proficiencies in grades K-8.

The next section of the report states that there are risk factors in the community surrounding the district, such as the proximity to a major highway and of drugs/alcohol within the community in general, that could impact the safety of students within the district. The fact that most of the population of the district is low income “increases risk factors of neighborhood,” according to the safety report. 

In respect to school climate, the district has a low rate of truancy, or students intentionally skipping classes, and low student fighting rates. 

Counselors and other staff members work with students on a daily basis, but the report also states that “staff surveys indicate that some teachers are worried about the school climate and safety.”

The next section deals with facility safety.To maintain safe facilities across all campuses, the district conducts regular inspections of fire alarms, fire extinguishers, etc. and deals with maintenance issues in a timely manner. There are cameras monitoring nearly all public areas and all main campus doors are all controlled by an electronic access system that requires visitors to be buzzed into the building.

There was a concern of doors that are accessed only by the electronic access control being left open for later access by staff, but the issue has been addressed and resolved, according to Simmons.

A part of the report notes how prepared the district is for a disaster. There is a new multi-hazard emergency operations plan that was prepared based on updated 2019 guidelines from the state. A Safety Grant will give staff expanded communication and disaster response capabilities. The district also has CPR, AED, and “Stop the Bleed” trained officials on every campus in case of emergency.

The report is still missing some survey question answers, but is on track to be submitted to the state by Aug. 31, 2020. 

Head to Marlinisd.org to stay up to date with MISD.