CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Next week marks the second anniversary of the tragedy in Uvalde.
Since that brutal attack, elected leaders have enacted several changes to improve security on school campuses across the state. One of those changes is the introduction of the Intruder Detection Audits.
Over the course of the school year, auditors visited every one of the CCISD’s 52 campuses to ensure that they were set up for success, and even more importantly the students' safety.
The state mandated Intruder Detection Audits consist of four tests: a perimeter check, a scan of the skin of the building, door lock checks, and door lock logs.
CCISD chief of police Kirby Warnke says these audits are a vital part of ensuring the safety of students and faculty.
"We like to think we're doing a great job, and audits like this demonstrate that we are. It's good to have an outside set of eyes,” Warke said. “Sometimes when you're right next to an issue you may miss it, so an outside set of eyes reinforces that we're doing the right thing and that what we have is up to state standards."
Warnke says of the total 208 criteria points needed to be met --there were only 3 findings that needed to be addressed and have since been fixed.
These checks are conducted by auditors sourced through a school district's designated regional Education Service Center.
"There's a partnership but then their mission is to ensure that we're doing the right thing. Our mission is to do the right thing," Warnke said.
Executive director for ESC Region 2, Esperanza Zendejas says that of the 46 districts that Region 2 oversees, including CCISD, their findings did not reveal any serious issues on campuses.
"This is not an 'I got you.' This is an opportunity that if we something that needs to be fixed. Things have changed a lot. In the last five years, you've seen a change, a major change, and over the last two years more so," Zendejas said.
“Many school districts already had work orders if we found something broken, so we are pleased with the work our school districts have done and congratulate their superintendents for being on task regarding the safety of their students."