Lubbock ISD Safer Schools Initiative

The mission of Lubbock ISD is to prepare students for life by nurturing, developing, and inspiring every child, every day. A non-negotiable for this mission statement is to ensure that the safety and security of our students and staff is a top priority. In the Lubbock ISD Safer Schools Initiative, Lubbock ISD will contribute to a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for all students. Lubbock ISD is a diverse school district located in West Texas, serving close to 27,000 students including 72.5% of students identified as economically disadvantaged, 49.2%  identified as “at-risk,” and a minority-majority student demographic makeup (59.0% Hispanic, 22.8% White, and 13.7% African-American). The district seeks funding from the School Violence Prevention program in order to provide (1) additional training and literature on threat assessment for teachers, administrators, and the Lubbock ISD Police Department to manage  behavioral issues in a way that contributes to better identify and mitigate the stressors in a student’s life, and move them off the pathway to potential violence. In addition, the district seks funding to support more efficient and effect threat management processes by (2) training campus-based employees to act as threat managers at district secondary campuses. Finally, to ensure that stakeholders have responsive systems that will enable district personnel to address threats, Lubbock ISD will (3) increase the training, functionality, and effective implementation of Lubbock ISD’s anonymous reporting system, STOPit. Our goal is to affect positive trends in the proper identification of threats, more informed safety planning, and more effective case management of students identified with risk factors. The aim of such efforts is to create learning environments throughout our district that are both safer and more conducive to positive academic experiences.