Another school year starts today for kids in districts like Fort Bend, Katy, Conroe, Magnolia, Alief and others. Of course, parents are concerned about the safety of their kids. And, as always, local districts have made changes to improve safety.
Fort Bend ISD's Angelique Myers says one change they made involved classroom locks.
"We've installed over 7300 floor mounted door locks in all the classrooms that have students in them," Myers said. "They provide an extra layer of security for students and staff if there is a threat outside the classroom."
Joy Baskin with the Texas Association of School Boards says the state made safety a priority with the passage of SB11 earlier this year.
"With the addition of some funds, districts may choose to have more resource officers or their own police unit," Baskin said, adding that the legislation also deals with mental health issues.
"They paid attention to the fact that many school officials said they needed more access to mental health care, Baskin stated,
And one school district went outside the box. Texas City ISD hired a former Secret Service agent - Mike Matranga - to overlook security for the entire district.
"They recognized that educators are not qualified to make decision that professionals in the security industry are qualified to make," Matranga explained. "We've changed the approach. Instead of having a reactive approach we need to have a more proactive approach."
For other changes made by the Fort Bend ISD, click HERE.