Procedures & Protocols

Standard Response

In the event of a serious incident or threat, our first priority is to ensure our students and staff are safe; followed by informing/communicating with parents or media. We will share information we have available as we are able through School Messenger email, parent calls or text messages, district social media, and the website. Please do NOT call campuses during crises. Phone lines need to remain clear for communication with emergency personnel.

Waxahachie ISD utilizes the standard response and reunification protocol adopted by the Texas School Safety Center.

Emergencies

What to do during an emergency?

Please wait for official instructions from Waxahachie ISD. Information will be communicated via Parent Square phone call, text message, or email. Details can also be found on the official district Facebook or Twitter pages or the district website.
Please do not call campuses during a crisis. Phone lines and staff are needed for emergency response efforts.
Please do not go to campuses unless instructed. Traffic jams can impede emergency personnel and can make a difficult situation worse. If you need to pick up your child, the district will inform you of the reunification process via Parent Square.
When you get to the reunification site, please bring a government-issued photo ID and check in with district personnel.
Students will be released to parents or guardians who have appropriate identification and are listed as a person authorized to pick up the child.
If an authorized person cannot pick up a child, the child will remain at the reunification site.
Please be patient as we work to reunite all students with their parents. We will do our best to make it an efficient process, and this is made easier with cooperation and respect from all parties.

Emergency Notifications

During emergencies, Waxahachie ISD has multiple avenues of communication to disseminate information to parents, students, and staff.

Parent Square – For this purpose, it is imperative to keep contact information current with campuses.
Any districtwide emergency alerts will be posted on the district website homepage.
Facebook
Twitter

Safety Measures

Proactive Safety Measures

WISD employs Waxahachie PD officers as School Resource Officers (SROs) who provide security services for all secondary campuses.
A uniformed Security Officer serves each campus. The Security Officers promote safety at their assigned campuses and build rapport with students.
Uniformed Security Officers provide security at athletic events, socials, proms, and other district events as deemed necessary.
Video surveillance camera systems in all schools help security and administrators monitor the interior and exterior of facilities.
Campus safety vestibules are designed such that visitors must be admitted to the school office before gaining access to secure areas of the school beyond the office.
All Waxahachie ISD campuses and facilities use the RAPTOR electronic visitor management system. The RAPTOR system, which requires the visitor to present a driver’s license or another acceptable form of government-issued identification, logs the visitor into the building and provides the visitor with a temporary, photo-identification badge to wear while in the building. The visitor management system also checks the visitor’s identification against a nationwide database of registered sex offenders and other criminal offenders.
Criminal history background checks are required for applicants for employment, volunteers, mentors, and contractors.
Each campus has one or more copies of the district’s Emergency Procedures Guide and staff members have an electronic version available for installation on a smartphone.
Each campus has an individual Campus Emergency Plan that is updated each year.
Campuses are regularly patrolled by WPD.
Please communicate with your child about being prepared for emergencies, including taking school drills seriously, reporting unidentified visitors, or anything out of the ordinary at school to an adult on campus.

Bus Safety

The Waxahachie ISD Safety & Security Department would like to remind all motorists to be aware of buses transporting students across the district. Please slow down, remember to stop when bus lights are flashing, and diligently watch for students entering and exiting buses. We look forward to a safe school year in WISD.

Pedestrian Safety

Waxahachie ISD campuses are focused on keeping all students safe during campus departure. In order to properly train all students in dismissal procedures and safety guidelines, we strongly recommend elementary students not walk to and from school without a parent or guardian until parents feel confident that students know safe walking home procedures. Parents, or those listed as emergency contacts, are required to provide either identification or a campus-assigned student or family sign to show that the person has the authority to remove the student from the campus.

WISD would like to remind motorists to be aware of students and parents walking and biking to school. Please remember to slow down, watch for children and parents crossing traffic, and pay attention to crossing guards. Thank you for your help in keeping WISD safe.

School Zone Safety

The Waxahachie ISD Safety & Security Department focuses on protecting the district’s students, employees, and property. In order to keep students safe, we ask that motorists keep these things in mind when driving on or near campuses:

Slow Down. Be aware of school zones as they are busy with foot traffic.
Watch out for crossing guards directing traffic while crossing pedestrians.
Do not text and drive, especially in a school zone.
Plan for extra travel time during the start and end of each school day when traffic becomes more congested.
Officers will be conducting traffic enforcement.

When students are walking to and from school they should:

obey all traffic rules;
cross at the designated locations where crossing guards can help them;
and follow all district dismissal procedures.

Report Concerns

Report suspicious activities, behaviors, or issues of potential concern. One of the most important safety measures we as a District and community can take is to be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviors or issues of potential concern. We encourage reporting suspected dangers to the appropriate authorities.