LUMBERTON, Texas — Lumberton Independent School District held a safety and security town hall Monday evening in efforts to explain safety protocols and listen to parent’s concerns.
It was the first of two scheduled safety and security town halls.
The Lumberton Police Department, Mayor Don Surratt, Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas and the district's new Director for Safety and Security, Time Lane were at the town hall.
"To listen to what the community's needs are, to really fine tune what we've been working on. We always keep an open ear,” Lane said.
Another demonstration at the meeting was of the district's plans in case of an emergency.
"It's also very important for them to understand some of the things that could go on if there was ever any event. So for example, if we ever had to evacuate a campus, we really want them to know in advance what's going to have to happen,” said Lumberton ISD Superintendent Dr. Tony Tipton.
Parents like Kristin Romero think some things need to be revised. Her son is a 4th grade special education student.
"A lot of those times those kids are more at risk, especially if you have medically fragile kids or you have children who are nonverbal, they can't communicate, they're not able to process the sensory things that are going on in their environments and so what protocols and things are in place to make that happen,” she said.
Although the district has thought through details like numbering each door and giving the police chief a master key, Tipton says this isn't something they’ve focused on, but that's what Monday was all about.
“If we get any suggestions tonight from parents, which we hope we do, then we can report back on the implementation of those suggestions and changes,” he said.
Questions and suggestions came in all forms:
Are door windows bulletproof? No.
Has the district considered metal detectors? Yes, but decided they weren't practical.
"No school district is going to be perfect, but they do make every effort to participate. Listen and do better." 2:50
The second meeting will be in January and Tipton says he wants to take the concerns parents shared Monday and work on those for the next town hall.