• Week of Oct 24 - Safety is a team effort on our campus. Gates and doors must be closed behind you, every time. And everyone who comes on campus must buzz in and check in at the main office. Just tell strangers, “Everyone has to buzz in at Entrance 1.” Safety is everyone’s responsibility and this is the one time that it’s alright to not be polite. Remember: See something; say something.
   
• Week of Oct 31 - School safety is everyone’s responsibility. When you’re on campus, don’t hold exterior doors or gates open for anyone you don’t know, and remember to check to make sure the gate or door is firmly closed behind you, every time you walk through it. If you see an adult on campus without an AISD badge, tell a nearby teacher or staff member. And, if you see a gate or door propped open, close it. Remember: See something; say something.
   
• Week of Nov 7 - To help keep our school safe, EVERY visitor who comes on campus has to buzz in at Entrance 1 in the main office. If you see an adult without an AISD badge roaming around campus, tell a nearby teacher or staff member. If you see a door inside the school propped open, tell a teacher or staff member. If you see an exterior gate or door propped open, don’t hesitate to close it. Remember: see something; say something; always do something.
   
• Week of Nov 14 - Remember, if you see something, say something. And we’re not just talking about the obvious things like social media threats or seeing something suspicious. We’re talking about some of the things that are easy to overlook or disregard because we’re in a hurry. When you’re on campus, gates and doors must be pulled shut behind you, every time. If you see an adult without an AISD badge roaming around campus, tell a nearby teacher or staff person. And if you see an exterior gate or door propped open, close it behind you. See something; say something; always do something.

• Week of Oct 24 - Need to talk? Speak with someone who can help whenever you need to, from wherever you are. DialCare is virtual counseling for AISD students, and it’s free and private. Download the DialCare app to get started.
   
• Week of Oct 31 - It’s OK to not be OK. But don’t go it alone. Download the DialCare app and talk with someone who can help. DialCare is a free, safe and private way for AISD students to receive virtual counseling. Find DialCare in the app store.
   
• Week of Nov 7 - Feeling stressed out or lonely or maybe you’re having trouble sleeping at night? DialCare makes it easy for you to get help when you need it with virtual counseling that is private and free for AISD students. Download the DialCare app to get started.
   
• Week of Nov 14 - We all go through rough patches… whether it’s at school or at home or with our friendships and relationships? Through life’s ups and downs, you can have access to a professional counselor who can help whenever you need to talk to someone, from wherever you are. DialCare is virtual counseling for AISD students, and it’s free and private. Download the DialCare app to get started.

Dear AISD Parents,

We hope your family’s first days of summer are off to a good start. While school doesn’t resume until August, we wanted you to know the District started the summer break on Tuesday with an emergency response drill. It’s one of the many ways we have been working internally to develop stronger security and response systems to support our schools, and we want to share more about how we're prioritizing safety in this video.

Watch “For the Record” here

Sincerely,
Superintendent Doug Loomis

Link to news release on AISD website

Amarillo ISD Board Improves School Safety and Security

Several Upgrades Coming to Campuses Across the District in Effort to Strengthen Security

July 25, 2022 – At their July 18 meeting, the Amarillo ISD Board of Trustees approved several measures to strengthen safety and security in our schools.

These measures are in line with the Board’s continued priority of student and staff safety and include the purchase of solid core doors and classroom function door locks for all classrooms. The District will spend over $810,000 to replace some 2,600 classroom doors that currently have windows with solid core doors. Classroom function door locks will lock automatically every time a door is closed and will require a key or an electronic fob to open. About 2,600 doors across the District will be retrofitted with these locks, at an estimated cost of $420,000.

An added security measure at elementary schools involves installing air-conditioning in all elementary gymnasiums so that gym doors will no longer need to be propped open for ventilation purposes. Amarillo ISD will purchase the equipment and in-house maintenance staff will do the work.  The installations should all be completed within one year, at a total cost of about $600,000.

Last year the District completed a project to install perimeter security fencing around the four high school campuses.  On July 18, the Board approved an architect firm to design and estimate costs for a project to install perimeter fencing around all 12 middle school campuses and all 37 elementary school campuses, which will be a multi-million dollar project.

“These additional security measures may seem expensive, but they are vital to an environment in which our students, parents, and school staff feel safe,” said Superintendent Doug Loomis. “In June, our Board committed a large portion of the District’s reserve funds to pay for these and other added security measures. Now, more than ever, safety is our top priority.”

Hey parents,

Back-to-school season is here and as your family gets ready for the big day, we want to catch you (and your student) up on what to expect this year when we head back to class. We’ve been planning and preparing for August 16th all summer long, but for a successful school year, we’re going to need your help. 

We hope you’ll watch our latest “Stuff You Should Know” video with your student and reinforce the important role we all have in making schools better, safer and stronger. The information will help everyone be ready for some changes when it comes to school safety, dress code and more. We don’t want that message to get lost in the hustle and bustle of back-to-school activities and that’s why we want to share it with you now.

“Stuff You Should Know” - Back to School 2022

The conversation starts with this video, but you can find information about the additional safety initiatives in place this school year along with the refined dress code below:

• Summer Progress - Security Updates & Upgrades
• AISD Board Approves New School Safety Measures
• AISD Police & Safety Department
• 2022- 2023 AISD Student Dress Code

We’re looking forward to a great school year and seeing your student for the first day of school on Tuesday the 16th.

Thank you for being part of the AISD family,

Doug Loomis
AISD Superintendent

NOTE: If viewing on a cell phone, you might need to turn your cell phone to a horizontal orientation to better view the flyer below.

Link to November Newsletter

NOTE: If viewing on a cell phone, you might need to turn your cell phone to a horizontal orientation to better view the newsletter below.

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Please view the Portraits story at this link