Recent violent threats and the arrest of a Madison High School student who brought loaded guns to school on Monday has put security at the forefront of the Northside Independent School District's 2014 Bond Election.
Eight and a-half million dollars of the entire $648.3 million bond package has been allocated for district safety and security upgrades.
With voter approval, some of that money could be used to pay for security bullet-resistant outer lobbies at district elementary schools.
This summer, the district will begin a security lobby pilot program at the new Ellison Elementary School.
"We're going to run that outer security lobby for about a year and see what operationally needs to tweaked or made different in subsequent lobbies," said NISD spokesman Pascual Gonzalez. "Then our plan is to expand it to at least half of our elementary schools in this next bond."
Gonzalez said the lobbies would look similar to those at a bank -- a secure outer area outfitted with bullet-resistant glass that leads into the main building.
"You have to go through this security lobby, which is (outfitted with) bullet-resistant glass, be vetted by a school staff employee who will look at your driver's license, run it through the computer, and make sure you are who you (say) you are before we allow you into the school to take care of your business. If you don't pass the Raptor, which is the criminal background check, you will not be allowed into the school," Gonzalez said.
KSAT crime analyst Eddie Gonzalez said such a facility would be a deterrent to a person looking to enter a school for violent reasons.
"Any type of barrier, what I would call a 'green zone' that's secure, would make it difficult for someone to get in and could protect the people ... that may be doing the access-checking to come in would be beneficial in any situation," Gonzales said.
Assuming voters approve the bond and the district is satisfied with the results of the pilot program, up to 30 elementary schools would have bullet-resistant outer lobbies installed.
Gonzalez said the ultimate goal would be to have them in all schools.
"It is our priority to keep these children safe, that's what we do every single day," he said. "Any tool we can use to help do that job better we're going to do."
The NISD school bond election will be held on May 10. Early voting runs from April 28 to May 6.
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