Providing a safe learning environment for staff and students is among Frisco ISD’s top priorities. To support that commitment, the District has spent years strengthening its layered safety and security measures through a combination of personnel, technology and emergency preparedness initiatives.
Frisco ISD regularly updates families regarding security changes and updates, and has several to share with a new year of learning underway.
Security personnel
SRO program: The District’s partnership with the Frisco, Little Elm, Plano and McKinney police departments continues through the School Resource Officer program. Each secondary campus is supported by a dedicated SRO.
SROs do far more than provide security. They are a daily presence in FISD schools, building trust and connections with students and staff. For families, the SRO program provides peace of mind knowing that campuses are supported by trained professionals who care deeply about student success and well-being.
Meanwhile, elementary campuses are monitored by SRO rovers assigned to patrol multiple campuses daily, and in some cases, SROs assigned to nearby middle schools provide additional monitoring.
Those elementary schools will soon receive their own full-time security monitoring with recent Board approval of the School Marshal program.
School Marshals: In May, The Frisco ISD Board of Trustees approved a plan to hire highly trained former peace officers in full-time roles at elementaries. Marshals must have experience as a commissioned peace officer, complete an 80-hour training course, and pass an L-3 psychological evaluation, among other criteria.
Update: This summer, the marshal program began its two-year rollout with the hiring of two lead marshals, who will assist in hiring campus-based marshals. Over 20 campus-based marshals have been hired as of mid-September, and they will be trained and begin to serve at elementary campuses this fall. Interest in the program has been strong, with more than 160 applications submitted for marshal and lead roles. Learn more and apply.
Technology and infrastructure upgrades
District campuses and facilities are monitored by hundreds of exterior and interior cameras, providing coverage that can be monitored in real time by District staff and local law enforcement. In addition, all schools have a single entry point for visitors, video-monitored and ID-verified.
Camera update: This summer, the District improved security camera coverage, adding external cameras and upgrading interior cameras.
Doorbell update: Forty-nine campuses received updated doorbell systems that integrate with the District’s new video management system.
Infrastructure update: Some facility windows are required to be updated to ensure attack-resistant standards have been met. Frisco ISD has opted to exceed these standards.
SAFER: Frisco ISD’s long-standing collaboration with local law enforcement includes SAFER, a custom emergency management platform launched in 2008 that has become a national model for collaboration. SAFER — which stands for Situational Awareness for Emergency Response — integrates live camera feeds from campuses and tracks personnel locations during emergencies, enabling rapid, coordinated responses. The system is maintained under a formal agreement with the city of Frisco.
Training and preparedness
Frisco ISD’s nationally recognized Standard Response Protocol ensures a uniform response by faculty, staff and students to school-based emergencies. The SRP is based upon five actions: Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, Shelter and Hold. Each action provides specific staff and student directives that are unique to the action.
In addition to the District multi-hazard Emergency Operations Plan, Frisco ISD has also implemented campus-level EOPs — even though state law does not require them.
Update: SROs, transportation staff and special education personnel completed safety training this summer based on real-world scenarios and procedural updates.
Few districts in Texas employ dedicated emergency management personnel, but Frisco ISD believes the investment is essential. Safety in FISD is about the tools, techniques, resources and training that allow the District to effectively prepare for, respond to and recover from any type of emergency — but it’s also about creating a culture where everyone is prepared to protect and support one another.
For more information on the District’s security programs and job openings, visit Frisco ISD Security.