Emily Iazzetti: Technology, design make new Waco ISD buildings safe | Columnists

Instead, these new buildings are using research-based strategies to keep threats out of our schools: controlling the traffic flow, secure entries, appropriate fences, digitally locked doors, security cameras and emergency lockdown capabilities. These security measures aren’t sexy. They don’t make headlines. But they will keep our students, teachers and staff secure inside our buildings. Our school designs use current best practices from the Association for Learning Environments safe schools task force to stop an attack before it can start by keeping an attacker outside the building.

The additional layer of protection that has not been talked about in local media coverage is the responsibility that we all have to prevent an attack on our school. A 2019 analysis by the United States Secret Service of targeted school violence noted that all of the attackers in 41 incidents from 2008 to 2017 “exhibited concerning behaviors,” but in many of those cases, the people who were aware of those behaviors did not report them. Waco ISD uses the STOPit app to give anyone in our community an easy way to anonymously report concerns. These reports are seen immediately by district staff and are taken seriously. During the 2021-22 school year, a Waco ISD student brought a gun to campus. And students, who are smarter than we give them credit for, told an assistant principal about it. Their actions allowed school authorities to intervene before anything could happen.

Superintendent Susan Kincannon and her student support staff have started a new curriculum to teach our students about appropriate emotional regulation. They are working on giving teachers the tools to form strong relationships with students. Waco ISD is working to identify which students have experienced trauma and need additional support from our district. Helping students overcome their personal barriers so they are ready to learn is our duty to the community.

In November 2021, voters told Waco ISD it was time to build new schools. The community advisory committee, made up of more than 60 parents, stakeholders and educators, dreamed about collaborative spaces filled with natural light where our students could learn in a 21st-century environment. Modern education no longer relies on desks lined up in rows inside a square room. Instead, education thrives with technology, innovation and flexibility.

Our new schools will be safe. But just as importantly, they will be places of inspiration where Waco ISD students are able to discover the joy in learning.