To prepare area school district emergency teams with the latest best practices, the Region One Education Service Center (ESC) School Safety Initiative hosted its 2nd Annual School Safety Conference August 3 - 4 at the Region One ESC Conference Center in Edinburg.

The conference gathered over 300 members of school system safety teams for a culmination of information, legislative updates and best practices to equip schools with optimal safety tools and resources.

This year, Region One ESC partnered with the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to introduce participants to critical topics, such as fentanyl and opioid prevention, active shooter response, Texas Education Agency legislative updates and more.

“It is very important for safety and security personnel to attend our School Safety Conference as a team,’ said Jay Aguayo, Region One ESC Safety & Transportation Coordinator. “That way, we are able to provide a holistic approach to service that accounts for the highly diverse roles within school safety and security.”

Texas Education Agency (TEA) Chief of School Safety and Security John P. Scott opened the second day of the conference with a highly anticipated presentation on new legislative mandates from the 88th Texas Legislative Session and TEA Safe & Supportive Schools Resources.

Chief Scott presented an abundance of information regarding Texas House Bill (HB) 3, a law that supports Texas schools’ safety efforts.

“We want to share this information with everyone because partnerships are important,” the Chief said. “Education Service Centers are invaluable to us. They are our direct line of communication with all school systems. We look forward to continuing our partnerships to ensure student safety.” 

Anna Arredondo, Point Isabel ISD Federal/State Special Programs Director, said the conference was an amazing opportunity to have important conversations with district safety stakeholders before the start of the school year.

“I love the fact that the conference happened prior to school starting,” Arredondo said. “We now have the opportunity to be proactive in bringing information, strategies and processes to key stakeholders before students come on to campus.”

Agencies that presented during the conference include the U.S. Secret Service, Department of Public Safety, Texas School Safety Center, Texas Division of Emergency Management, Texas Education Agency, FBI, U.S. Army and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The Region One ESC School Safety Initiative assists school systems in addressing and complying with state safety mandates. For more information about the conference visit http://www.esc1.net/schoolsafety.