The installation of surveillance cameras at Pasadena ISD elementary schools has given an added element of safety on the campuses. 

Funding for the cameras were approved by voters as part of the district’s $299.88 million bond package in 1994. The measure is one of many safety and security upgrades the district has made over the past 10 years. 

"Along with student achievement, student safety is our top priority," said Kirk Lewis, Pasadena ISD superintendent. “We want to do everything possible to provide a safe environment for our students and teachers.” 

All campuses are now equipped with surveillance cameras, which are mounted in the hallways, the exterior of the schools and many other locations. 

Pasadena ISD Assistant Police Chief Troy Harrison said the addition of the cameras at the elementary schools have helped keep the campuses safe and secure. 

“The cameras have assisted us greatly,” he said. “Any time you have such added measures to keep kids and teachers safe is a plus.” 

Over the years, the district has redesigned the main office areas at the campuses to face the entrances of the schools for safety purposes. Additional safety measures in the schools include telephones in every classroom so teachers can quickly communicate directly and quickly with office staff and one-way locks to each school entrance, so that the doors remain unlocked from the inside but deny access from outside the building. 

The district police also has an emergency response team, which can be deployed to crisis situations on a particular campus within 10 minutes. All members of the district's police force are certified in emergency response training. 

“I believe our district is extremely proactive when it comes to school safety,” Lewis said. “It’s part of our commitment in giving kids a safe environment in which to learn.”