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FAQs

How am I going to receive communication about an emergency incident?

  • Wimberley ISD currently utilizes a communication platform with parents/guardians that automatically sends important information and/or emergency-based messages through text, pre-recorded phone calls, and email. In an emergency situation, messages would be sent to parents/guardians through these methods on a determined, regular basis based on how the situation unfolds and in communication with law enforcement and emergency responders. 
  • It is important for parents/guardians to ensure that their contact information–phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, and approved emergency contacts–are all up-to-date in the Skyward system. Our notification system uses current Skyward contact information to distribute these messages. If you have questions about your information in Skyward, please contact your child’s campus office staff.

 

Should I go directly to the school if I am notified of an emergency incident?

  • No, if you receive notification through email, phone call, and/or text about an emergency incident at your child’s school, do not go directly to the school. If all parents/guardians rush to the campus, it can create a traffic situation and other possible safety issues that will not allow first responders and other emergency personnel to effectively reach the campus and/or perform necessary duties. Please keep your phone accessible to stay updated on important information and directions. 
  • When it’s a safe time to pick up your child, you will receive notification about when and where, and what the process will be. If the campus has to be evacuated after an emergency incident, students and staff will be transported to an alternate location (to be determined by incident command and school leadership). Parents/guardians will be notified of the specific location and given directions to where and how to pick up their children. This reunification process can be time-consuming and complex, but it is a process designed to safely join children and adults after an emergency situation. In a reunification situation, school staff appreciate parents’ patience and cooperation to safely and responsibly get students to where they need to be.

 

What kind of proactive safety protocols does WISD have in place?

  • At Wimberley ISD, we are committed to safe and secure campuses. We have Hays County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officers employed at each campus. Our staff members receive safety training each year. All exterior school doors and access gates remain locked at all times. Between entry and dismissal bells, all classrooms remain locked whenever there is at least one student present in the room.  Security film is installed on floor-level windows and glass-front doors to significantly limit access to intruders. 
  • Visitors to campus must identify themselves and their reason for visiting before the entrance doors are unlocked by reception staff. Visitors will be asked for picture identification if they are picking up a student and/or visiting within the building. Drivers’ licenses will be run through the Raptor system for a basic background check before a visitor sticker is issued. Visitors must also check out through the office when they leave campus. All volunteers for campus and field trip events go through an approval process, including a DPS background check and safety training. 
  • Staff and students at each WISD campus wear identification badges. Students at Danforth JH and Wimberley HS have badges that also allow them access to certain doors during the school day, which allows all exterior doors to stay locked at all times. 
  • WISD uses the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) for emergency situations such as securing the building, lockdown, evacuation, and shelter. Our staff and students practice these actions during drills throughout the school year.  WISD uses guidance from the Texas School Safety Center on procedural implementation of the SRP and campus safety drills and procedures.

 

What are some of the preventative supports in place to encourage a safe environment/safe relationships at school?

  • We have district-level and campus-level Behavior Threat Assessment teams–made up of trained administrators, counselors, teachers, SROs, and behavior specialists–that work together to identify and address possible threatening messages or actions in a proactive effort to keep our students supported and safe.
  • Principals and Assistant Principals work to maintain a safe school environment by redirecting student behavior using the WISD Code of Conduct, Trauma-Informed Practices, and their presence in the school environment each day.
  • Other proactive measures through our WISD Student Supports: 
    • T.E.X.A.N Roots is WISD’s locally developed Character Education Program
    • Zones of Regulation is a research based program helping all students self-regulate at Blue Hole Primary
    • As an extension of T.E.X.A.N Roots, JWE, DJH, and WHS have related student clubs who are challenged each year to promote positive school culture and encourage T.E.X.A.N Roots character development in their school.
    • BHP has a dedicated T.E.X.A.N Roots teacher to help students learn necessary social and emotional skills within the Character Education Program leading to increased self-regulation, positive peer relationships, conflict resolution skills creating a foundation for continued positive classroom and school culture.
    • School Counselors at each campus create a comprehensive school counseling program to meet the needs of the students appropriate to the age group and resources available at that campus
    • WISD Wellness Center Coordinator works to assess student need and connect to appropriate in-school and community resources through direct student support and managing the caseloads of other WISD mental health professionals and interns.
    • WHS Wellness Center serves students as a safe, time-limited support space that is manned with well-trained and certified mental health support for students during the school day.  
    • WISD uses a Multi-tiered System of Support to help address student needs at each campus.  This system employs many of the items mentioned in this list as well as academic support and regular meetings at each campus to identify appropriate interventions for individual student need when a student is struggling with success in any of the following areas: Academic, Social Emotional, Behavioral.  
    • Teachers are trained regarding Trauma Informed Practice in the Classroom, focusing on the 5 core values of trauma informed care: safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment.
    • Partnership with The Greater Mercy Foundation to provide appropriate proactive and crisis support for WISD employees through programs stemming from staff surveys. 

 

What system do you have in place for anonymous reporting? 

P3 is our anonymous reporting tool that can be used to anonymously report any concern, by students, parents, and staff members. Crimestoppers can also be used to make an anonymous report that will go to the Hays County Sheriff’s Office staff.

P3 and Crimestoppers are truly anonymous reporting systems. Occasionally, a reporter will choose to identify himself or herself in the report by including their name in the narrative. This would allow administrators or law enforcement to speak directly to the reporter.

 

When would a school go into “Lockdown?” What is the difference between a Lockdown or a Secure?

  • WISD uses the SRP protocol. Lockdowns are initiated when the threat is inside the building. An active threat is not limited to gunfire. A direct threat to safety affecting the interior building can warrant a Lockdown. Actions such as Hold and Secure–which are designed to create a safe environment and increase situational awareness–can also be utilized on campuses. Hold is employed whenever students and staff members should keep hallways clear and should stay in place until it is safe to move around the building. Secure is used when a possible threat is outside the school, to ensure that all students and staff are inside the locked building.