Facebook Live Discussion: What's New This Year To Protect North Texas Students
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Tens of thousands of North Texas students will return to school classrooms as early as next week.
During a Facebook Live discussion Wednesday afternoon, we learned from our panel what is new this fall since school ended last Spring.
In the months since the deadly high school shootings in Santa Fe, Texas and Parkland, Florida, Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr.Michael Hinojosa said one of the district's top priorities is spotting troubled students. "We are really taking mental health as a serious matter. We're trying to train not only our counselors, but a lot of our employees to try to identify who needs help and how do we get to them as quickly as possible."
Taniyah Lucky, a sophomore at Skyline High School in Dallas told us students rely on school counselors. "I also think they should have more counselors because you never know what someone is going through or what problems they are suffering and if they need an unlimiited time to talk to the counselors."
Joshua ISD Superintendent Fran Marek says they've created a new police department this year with five officers. "So everyone of our secondary campuses, because we added another officer, will have an officer at that campus all day long and the additional officer will be used between our elementary campuses."
Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner says even before the Santa Fe High School shooting, he increased patrols at schools and he said this trend will continue. "Before your shift ends, you must have stopped by, parked your car, and done a walk-thru at some school in your patrol district. All the field deputies have to do that once a shift."
Also new this year, the I-Watch App students can use to report threats.
Everyone on our panel agreed students are the best resource, and that schools need to reinforce the message, if you see or hear something, say or do something.
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