Friday, May 3, 2024
Parking lot procedures have paid off in helping keep Gatesville Independent School District students safe, the district’s police department is likely weeks away from earning approval and scores of parents have expressed interest in participating on the School Health Advisory Committee.
Those updates were presented to the GISD Board of Trustees during their Sept. 19 meeting.
Gatesville High School Principal Marie Barrows said new procedures put in place in the parking lot have helped to increase student safety.
“It’s a tedious procedure we put in place at the beginning of the school year,” she said. It requires every student to have a parking permit and reserved space.
“We have gotten numerous calls when students were alerted to something going on in the parking lot,” Barrows said.
She said there has also been a quicker response time to any concerns. Students know the cars that are supposed to be parked there, and are quick to notify staff if there is anything unusual or questionable.
“If someone is not supposed to be in the parking lot, that can be quickly identified,” she said. “It brings heightened alertness, and the turnaround time is very quick. I was on the fence about (the policy changes) because it was so tedious, but it has been very impactful.”
POLICE UPDATE
Superintendent Barrett Pollard told the board that Gatesville ISD should have its own police force in a matter of weeks. School resource officers are currently employees of the Gatesville Police Department. However, the board voted over the summer to have the school district create its own police force.
“We’ve been making good progress,” Pollard said, adding that he has received “a very favorable response” from the law enforcement inspector who recently visited GISD. “We anticipate getting an email notifying us of approval (for a GISD police department) in the next few weeks. We are one step closer — almost to the end.”
The city of Gatesville has agreed to provide police services for the district through the fall.
HEALTH COMMITTEE
Yancey Sanderson, executive director of testing and federal programs for the district, said parents were given an option to express whether or not they would be interested in serving on the School Health Advisory Committee, and the district had an overwhelming response.
“There were almost 300 names of people who have expressed an interest in participating, and we will send out email invitations,” he said.
“If we can get 20 to 30 to show up, we’ll be good,” Sanderson said. “If everyone shows up, we can move the meeting to the school auditorium.”
