Dallas ISD police chief addresses security questions following Uvalde shooting
DALLAS - The chief of Dallas ISD police answered questions from parents about school security in the district.
He and other district leaders were invited to a discussion about gun safety in schools following the Uvalde mass shooting.
Despite students being out for the summer, school safety is still a big concern for parents.
The Dallas ISD police chief and others informed the community about what is being done to keep children safe.
The tragedy in Uvalde was three weeks ago, but the worry and fear are still fresh on the minds of parents.
"I dropped my kids off the day after Uvalde, and we had the worst day being anxious about my kids in school," said parent Melassia Hance. "I have all of the confidence in this school, but it is becoming more rampant and takes me out of that ‘it’s never going to happen to me’ comfort zone to ‘it can happen to any of us.’"
A school safety listening session was held at Rosemont Elementary in Southwest Dallas that included some state lawmakers.
But the panelist parents wanted to hear from most was Dallas ISD Police Chief John Lawton. He told the group in the wake of the Robb Elementary shooting that they have made adjustments to district summer programs like band camps and summer school.
"Within DISD, we have a lot of camps and special programs. We have definitely stepped up our presence at those camps and those locations," he said.
Recently, Gov. Greg Abbott called on the Texas School Safety Center to conduct random door checks and intruder drills at schools.
Lawton says that is already standard practice in DISD.
"We have been conducting intruder checks for years now," he said.
Lawton says the purpose of this event and other conversations in communities around North Texas is to let parents know what is already being done, try to put their minds a bit at ease and also get their input.
For Lindsey Patterson, she thinks while districts do what they need to do, she hopes Texas lawmakers will do the same.
"Obviously gun reform and not only trying to address this as a mental health issue. It’s a combination," she said.
Chief Lawton says Dallas ISD is also building a security operation center where they can monitor school cameras in real-time. So if an incident happens, they can respond quicker.