CSHS School Safety

4,012 Views | 28 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by Oogway
Tumble Weed
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Received this email today. Ready for the kids to get out of school this year.


Dear Families of CSHS Students:
I wanted to take a moment to inform you of an incident that was reported to CSHS administration yesterday and to dispel some rumors circulating throughout the CSHS community.
While in advocate class earlier this week, a student made a comment during a game that was perceived as a threat by other students not involved in the game. Those students reported it to school administrators and the school resource deputy.
During an investigation by school administration and the College Station Police Department, it was quickly determined there was no credible threat made by the student.
Had there been a credible threat or any danger posed to our school community, I would have informed you of such.
I am grateful we have a community in which we are all invested in the safety and security of our schools! Thank you to all of the students and parents who have reached out to share their concerns.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend!
Sincerely,
Tiffany Parkerson
College Station High School Principal


bugle rank '87
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AG
Interesting. I was wondering why no email was sent home yesterday. I also find it interesting that it was not considered a credible threat but am glad they called authorities.
We’ve never lost a halftime...
AgsWin2011
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AG
Just install freaking metal detectors in the main entries of the school with an armed guard(s) at each entry. I feel like we already pay enough taxes to cover this....

It's sad that we have to worry or think about these types of things. I know growing up I never had to think about these things happening. It's a sick world with sick people.
lost my dog
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bugle rank '87 said:

Interesting. I was wondering why no email was sent home yesterday. I also find it interesting that it was not considered a credible threat but am glad they called authorities.
They call the authorities to determine if it is a credible threat. Teachers don't have expertise in this area, but police do. Why email parents before police have made determination?
lost my dog
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Heismenberg said:

Just install freaking metal detectors in the main entries of the school with an armed guard(s) at each entry. I feel like we already pay enough taxes to cover this....

It's sad that we have to worry or think about these types of things. I know growing up I never had to think about these things happening. It's a sick world with sick people.
We don't pay enough taxes for this now, but I'll be curious to see if the electorate is willing to do so in the future.
InMyOpinion
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Heismenberg said:

I know growing up I never had to think about these things happening. It's a sick world with sick people.


Its probably a safe bet that whatever the kid said would not have been perceived as a threat when you were growing up.
Roc96
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AG
The kid was joking about skipping school on Monday. His friend said something like, "Remember, don't come to school on Monday."

Kid 2 responded,"Monday is a holiday."

So,
Kid 1 said, "Oh, yeah. Don't come to school on Friday."

And, that's it. Those two kids' parents weren't even called.

Heard it straight from one of those two kids' parents.
Roc
Roc96
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AG
Don't mistake that post for my support of that school's administration. They're as fickle and biased as middle school kids in the popular crowd.
Roc
viejo
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lost my dog said:

Heismenberg said:

Just install freaking metal detectors in the main entries of the school with an armed guard(s) at each entry. I feel like we already pay enough taxes to cover this....

It's sad that we have to worry or think about these types of things. I know growing up I never had to think about these things happening. It's a sick world with sick people.
We don't pay enough taxes for this now, but I'll be curious to see if the electorate is willing to do so in the future.
Seriously? Do the math. According to the link below, CSHS has 1745 students. It has a student/teacher ratio of 15.5/1. According to the next link, College Station ISD has annual revenues of $155, 338,799 and a total student enrollment of about 12,500. That's a little over $12,400 per student. So, College High School generates a bit over $21.6 million annually. Assume they pay each teacher, with benefits, $80,000 annually (that's high...for the record), that means teacher salaries are a little over $9 million a year. You're going to tell me that no where in that remaining $12.6 million generated by College Station High School they can't find the money to put metal detectors at all entrances without raising taxes??? There is plenty of money spent on public education. The "lack" of funding for public education is because of how the existing resources are allocated, not that there's not enough money being spent.

https://nces.ed.gov/globallocator/sch_info_popup.asp?Type=Public&ID=480735012482
https://1.cdn.edl.io/DyAuWsmIfANwfQNEl9j5cnLfb9WazXmEbLahAiDGIPvwbCmL.pdf

And....we've got a kid at CSHS......neither my wife nor I got an email. And yes, we are on the list.
Expert Analysis
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AG
AMEN
We pay plenty in taxes, they are not used as efficiently or effectively as they should be.
Oogway
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I believe those revenue #'s that you listed include more than just property tax $$ though. Child nutrition, debt service $ to pay down debt, etc.

I don't know what portion CSHS teacher salaries cost, but district wide the payroll cost for teachers was over $62 million and when you add in all of the payroll costs from custodial to maintenance to paraprofessional, etc it adds up to over $91 million.

In addition over $30 million went to pay down debt for all of the buildings being built and maintained. Extracurricular activities cost around $5 million but only generate a small bit of revenue.

So, there may be items that can be cut to fund your wish for increased security, but a lot of the $ does indeed go to the meat and potatoes of education.
patmorgan235
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Here's the Revenue numbers straight from the Budget.
https://i.imgur.com/1cPLDZs.png
TLIAC
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AG
First, it was investigated by law enforcement. Second, did ya'll read the email explanation of the incident. How would you consider that to be a credible threat. If kids went to jail every time another kid over heard a comment and misunderstood, there would be lots of kids in jail. Third, metal detectors - in a perfect world that would be great. CSHS has 41 exterior doors. Each metal detector has to be manned. Even if you install them at the main doors that is 12 metal detectors and 12 personnel at CSHS alone. Plus, I can tell you that kids prop other doors open a lot. I constantly was unpropping doors when I worked there. They also just let other kids in without sending them past the front desk. Like I said, in a perfect world, they would work but our world isn't perfect. They might help but they are not the solution.

I recently saw a quote from Flip Flippen that said "We are a broken nation with too many lost kids. Again we grieve as a country. Know this; disenfranchised people have nothing to lose!!! Kids that are connected to others don't kill. Our job is building healthy relationships that heal. It's needed now more than ever."

Maybe we need to work on our relationships with our kids and the kids we come into contact with. Maybe we need to teach our kids to reach out to "those" kids rather than make fun of them. Maybe we all need to be a little kinder to everyone around us.

Also, trust the administrators. They would never allow kids to come to school if they thought they would be in danger. They really do care about them and consider them to be "their" kids.
csnole
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For TLIAC - Thank You for all you have done and continue to do for our kids! I completely agree with you!!
TLIAC
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AG
csnole said:

For TLIAC - Thank You for all you have done and continue to do for our kids! I completely agree with you!!
Thank you!
TAMU1990
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AG
The last day of school is a Thursday. Maybe that's why this student said to not cone to school on Friday?
viejo
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Oogway said:

I believe those revenue #'s that you listed include more than just property tax $$ though. Child nutrition, debt service $ to pay down debt, etc.

I don't know what portion CSHS teacher salaries cost, but district wide the payroll cost for teachers was over $62 million and when you add in all of the payroll costs from custodial to maintenance to paraprofessional, etc it adds up to over $91 million.

In addition over $30 million went to pay down debt for all of the buildings being built and maintained. Extracurricular activities cost around $5 million but only generate a small bit of revenue.

So, there may be items that can be cut to fund your wish for increased security, but a lot of the $ does indeed go to the meat and potatoes of education.
I think you made my case for me. The total revenues are over $155 million. Adding the items together you cited, that comes to $126 million for the "meat and potatoes" of education.... Surely somewhere in the remaining $29 million they can find money to harden targets. That cost would amount to a rounding error compared to either the $155 million or the $26 million.
thatguy2
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We know they aren't paying the teachers a good salary. They are the ones that need a raise.
Oogway
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viejo said:

Oogway said:

I believe those revenue #'s that you listed include more than just property tax $$ though. Child nutrition, debt service $ to pay down debt, etc.

I don't know what portion CSHS teacher salaries cost, but district wide the payroll cost for teachers was over $62 million and when you add in all of the payroll costs from custodial to maintenance to paraprofessional, etc it adds up to over $91 million.

In addition over $30 million went to pay down debt for all of the buildings being built and maintained. Extracurricular activities cost around $5 million but only generate a small bit of revenue.

So, there may be items that can be cut to fund your wish for increased security, but a lot of the $ does indeed go to the meat and potatoes of education.
I think you made my case for me. The total revenues are over $155 million. Adding the items together you cited, that comes to $126 million for the "meat and potatoes" of education.... Surely somewhere in the remaining $29 million they can find money to harden targets. That cost would amount to a rounding error compared to either the $155 million or the $26 million.


The next board meeting is June 19. That should give you plenty of time to go over the budget (available on the CSISD website) and organize your thoughts to make a presentation during the hearing of citizens portion of the agenda.
viejo
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Oogway said:

viejo said:

Oogway said:

I believe those revenue #'s that you listed include more than just property tax $$ though. Child nutrition, debt service $ to pay down debt, etc.

I don't know what portion CSHS teacher salaries cost, but district wide the payroll cost for teachers was over $62 million and when you add in all of the payroll costs from custodial to maintenance to paraprofessional, etc it adds up to over $91 million.

In addition over $30 million went to pay down debt for all of the buildings being built and maintained. Extracurricular activities cost around $5 million but only generate a small bit of revenue.

So, there may be items that can be cut to fund your wish for increased security, but a lot of the $ does indeed go to the meat and potatoes of education.
I think you made my case for me. The total revenues are over $155 million. Adding the items together you cited, that comes to $126 million for the "meat and potatoes" of education.... Surely somewhere in the remaining $29 million they can find money to harden targets. That cost would amount to a rounding error compared to either the $155 million or the $26 million.


The next board meeting is June 19. That should give you plenty of time to go over the budget (available on the CSISD website) and organize your thoughts to make a presentation during the hearing of citizens portion of the agenda.
In other words, you have no response so you deflect the discussion. The fact is that there is plenty of money in public education.......
Oogway
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I made my response. Why would you think it is a deflection? The budget is public, you and I both listed some of the major outlays for the revenue that comes in (salaries etc). If you want this plan to go beyond a forum, then you would need to take it to the school board, and/ or begin organizing other parents to do likewise. Otherwise your suggestion probably won't go anywhere.

Edit- clarity
lost my dog
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lost my dog
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Oogway said:

I made my response. Why would you think it is a deflection? The budget is public, you and I both listed some of the major outlays for the revenue that comes in (salaries etc). If you want this plan to go beyond a forum, then you would need to take it to the school board, and/ or begin organizing other parents to do likewise. Otherwise your suggestion probably won't go anywhere.

Edit- clarity
Agreed. Plus without an estimate of how much it would cost to secure the 41 doors of CSHS, this is tilting at windmills
TLIAC
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AG
When you are calculating your estimate you can't just figure the cost for CSHS, what about AMCHS? Are you going to include middle, intermediate and elementary schools? It's going to be expensive and its not just a one time cost. Personnel to man the decectors will be ongoing.
viejo
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TLIAC said:

When you are calculating your estimate you can't just figure the cost for CSHS, what about AMCHS? Are you going to include middle, intermediate and elementary schools? It's going to be expensive and its not just a one time cost. Personnel to man the decectors will be ongoing.
I used CSHS as an example. Every school's numbers will be similar. Just take then number of students and multiply it by the $12K+. You don't need to cover all 41 entrances with metal detectors. Limit entrances to the school. Put metal detectors at those limited entrances. Put alarms on the rest so if the door gets opened from the inside, the alarm sounds. This isn't hard, and it doesn't need to be expensive.

My bigger issue is the false narrative that there's not enough money in public education. $12,000 a kid, not including room and board. I have two kids at A&M right now. I spend less that that for tuition, fees, and books per kid. There's plenty of money in public K-12 education. Where the School Board and Administration choose to spend it is the problem. Focus on the basics, Teachers and security.

Don't even THINK about raising my taxes....they've got plenty of money.
viejo
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Oogway said:

I made my response. Why would you think it is a deflection? The budget is public, you and I both listed some of the major outlays for the revenue that comes in (salaries etc). If you want this plan to go beyond a forum, then you would need to take it to the school board, and/ or begin organizing other parents to do likewise. Otherwise your suggestion probably won't go anywhere.

Edit- clarity
Okay, so then you and I agree there's plenty of money in public education, and your comment didn't change the subject. Fair enough.

As to taking it to the school board, I think it's pretty clear from recent events that the school board is completely deaf to the wishes of the parents in this district.
Oogway
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Quote:

"As to taking it to the school board, I think it's pretty clear from recent events that the school board is completely deaf to the wishes of the parents in this district."


A lot of parents probably believe as you do, but I believe that citizens who want to make a change in something have to take a step forward regardless. The parents whose children were affected by the grandfathering tried and were unsuccessful but it may have been the impetus for some of them to become more involved in addressing issues they see as needing attention.

If the funds are there and you want this issue addressed, then why not reach out to them? If you do it at the meeting, then it becomes a matter of public record and is published in the minutes. As you pointed out, it is taxpayer dollars, so express your concern regarding how they are spent. I believe the fiscal year ends on August and the board meets to approve the budget around that time.
TLIAC
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AG
viejo said:


You don't need to cover all 41 entrances with metal detectors. Limit entrances to the school. Put metal detectors at those limited entrances. Put alarms on the rest so if the door gets opened from the inside, the alarm sounds. This isn't hard, and it doesn't need to be expensive.




I've been trying to figure out how to word this without sounding like the negative person that dismisses every idea (because I'm not) but let me give it a try. I know metal detectors work in some schools but it's not as easy as it sounds.

Many of the doors that you suggest we alarm are used continuously throughout the day. They have athletic and PE dressing rooms that exit to the exterior of the building. The kids change clothes and go outside for their classes. They have kids leaving and returning to the main building throughout the day to go to classes/athletics in the field house and given the size of the school, they have to take the shortest possible route and that is not always through a main entry. They have band kids in and out of band hall doors practicing. They have shop kids working in the back of the school using back exits. Next year the school will have portable classrooms and that will add another set of security issues that will need to be addressed. These doors are locked during the day but kids can exit using the push bar and then the teacher will let them back in.

Another issue is just the logistics of running 1,900 + kids through metal detectors. Just think of the lines at the airport and imagine that same scenario with high school kids and then imagine the time it would take to scan that many kids plus staff each morning.

Like I said, I know it is used other places but it's not as simple or as easy as you might think it would be. There are a lot of logistics and other things that have to be considered before that system could be implemented.

I know that security in the schools needs to be addressed but I still think it goes back to what I quoted earlier - kids that are connected to other kids, their parents and others don't shoot up schools. That needs to be addressed also.
MTTANK
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AG
I think its obvious something needs to be done. Unfortunately this is a growing trend, and student safety will continue to need more and more attention. As far as budgets and our taxes, we should have enough to add to the security. Our school board recently spent 2 million dollars to "rebrand" schools, so they can hack the living hell out of our school zones and our community. They are currently trying to start drug testing their students, moneys not a problem there. We smoked 15 million for a campus view high school thats empty and not even close in the coveted "comparability" metrics. Pretty sure we could hire an entire swat team for every single school if they got rid of the annual staffing and maintenance cost at college view alone. Maybe if the school board directed our money to things that actually help our students education and their safety? What if you spent that money on teacher raises and additional counselors and campus police??? As far as the high schools administration, I don't think there is a chance that any school here in college station would purposely put their students in harms way. I think it was nice an email was sent out, shows that they really care.
Oogway
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For anyone who has been following the school safety issue, KBTX had an interview with Dr. Ealy, the CSISD superintendent, who stated the District would be presenting to the Board some changes in school security they would like to implement. (At the June 19 meeting).
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