During Monday night’s meeting of the Brownwood ISD Board of Trustees, Superintendent Dr. Joe Young provided an updated on the safety and security measures the school district has undertaken since the passage of $59 million bond in May.

Those include:

• Nearly 200 new cameras have been installed at the high school, junior high, alternative school, and central office. Additionally, existing cameras at elementary schools have been retrofitted to seamlessly integrate with the new system, ensuring more complete surveillance coverage district-wide.

• A new IP Intercom System is being installed district-wide. This includes approximately 500 interior and exterior speakers that are strategically deployed throughout the district to provide more effective emergency communication capability.

• Door card access systems have been strategically placed on exterior doors throughout the district. The card access systems provide enhanced safety and security for front office workers while maintaining controlled access to the building.

• Additional two-way radios have been ordered for campuses throughout the district. The additional radios will improve communication among campus and district administration during critical emergency events.

• Emergency site maps for all BISD campuses are currently under development with SafetyMap.com. The new maps will provide uniform emergency and egress maps throughout the district.

Young also addressed safety measures taking due to the Safety Standards Formula Grant the school district received, including:

• Additional fencing was added to Northwest Elementary and Woodland Heights Elementary to ensure the safety and security of students during Physical Education classes and recess.

• Certain door card access system components were purchased with funds from \ this grant.

• Knox Box Vaults were purchased and installed at all BISD campuses. Knox Box Vaults allow access to keys, maps, and access cards to first responders.

• 3M Ultra S800 Security Film was installed on exterior door glass panes and adjacent windowpanes using Impact Protection Adhesive. This film provides impact protection and serves as the first line of defense for preventing intruders from breaking the glass and gaining access to the building.

Regarding safety and security in terms of technology, all campus surveillance systems have been upgraded to new, cloud based, more user-friendly systems.

There are a few blind spots that have been identified on a few campuses. A survey has been completed to make adjustments; installation should be completed in the coming weeks.

• High School and Middle School: Complete rip and replace. Several existing IP cameras were

recovered for use at Elementary campuses.

• Coggin, East & Woodland Heights: The school will continue to use their existing IP cameras. Those have been added to the overall cloud-based system via a storage/cloud connector appliance.

• Northwest: A new system was installed in the Fall of 2022.

• Additional cameras are planned for Coggin, Woodland, East.