The safety of our students and staff remains the top priority in LISD. In preparing for the 2022–23 school year, LISD district and campus administrators reviewed the district’s safety and security protocols and resources at LISD’s fifth annual Safety & Operations Summit and at the regularly scheduled School Safety & Security Committee meeting. 

These reviews followed the mandate instituted by Gov. Greg Abbott June 1, which directed schools to review their safety protocols. 

“We are working hard with all of our agency partners to make sure that we can keep our staff and our students safe as we go into this school year,” said Superintendent Bruce Gearing, Ed.D. “We have done full safety audits on all of our campuses as we continue to do weekly external and internal door audits.

“We know that the most important thing that we can do is get to know each student well,” he added, “and make sure that we’re meeting their needs and giving them the support that they need to thrive in our system.”

LISD is complying with state-mandated protocols and working diligently to ensure that all requirements are met by the published deadlines. Right now, district facilities meet all current and applicable building and life safety codes, including physical safety requirements in the Texas Education Code for school buildings.

The district’s two most recent bonds and a TEA grant of $647,741 have been used for security upgrades. These upgrades included the addition of:

  • Secured front entrances on all campuses 
  • Improvements to security cameras, including the addition of security cameras at all elementary schools
  • The replacement of all access control card readers and badges with new, secure technology

LISD currently has eight School Resource Officers (SROs) across the district’s six high school campuses. SROs build trusted relationships with students and staff, and they work proactively to prevent crimes or unsafe incidents from occurring on campus. The Leander Police Department’s SRO program began in 1998 and is a partnership between the police department and LISD. The district also works with the Cedar Park Police Department and the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. 

If an incident does occur on an LISD campus, post-incident briefings are conducted with first responders in order to improve protocols for future incidents. All campuses practice the Standard Response Protocols established by the I Love You Guys Foundation, which have been adopted by the state.

Safety and security measures in Leander ISD are continuously evolving in light of improved protocols and updated mandates. 

Partner with us in school safety & security

The safety of our students and staff is the top priority in LISD. We believe relationships are critical to successful schools, and ultimately, our families and students are the best partners in keeping our schools safe. 

LISD principals and school administrators investigate every reported tip or threat. We work with law enforcement and take quick and appropriate action, including notifying families if there is a valid danger on campus. We ask all of our families and students to please share any information regarding school or student safety by either directly contacting a school staff member or by using our anonymous alert system. 

As we continue to grow, we will continue to explore and collaborate with other school districts to find new ways to improve safety and security. For more information about our safety protocols, visit the district’s Safety & Security page.