Corpus Christi ISD adds policy requiring classroom doors to be locked

Corpus Christi ISD formalized a safety policy requiring locked classroom doors Monday.

According to a Wednesday news release, the district has long operated under the expectation that doors be locked, but now the requirement has been officially added to district regulations. The move comes as school districts around the state have aimed to tighten security after the killing of 21 people at Uvalde's Robb Elementary.

“While we implemented an ‘if it can be locked, it should be locked’ procedure in 2013 following the Sandy Hook tragedy, it was important to take the extra step to formally include it in our policies,” CCISD Police Chief Kirby Warnke said in the release.

Under the policy, all classrooms and instructional areas will be closed and locked during the instructional day, including the classrooms of substitute teachers.

The district is also upgrading its bully reporting platform so that the system can also accept safety-related inquiries. The new system will be in place by the first day of school. The district will share additional information with the public about the new reporting system before Aug. 9.

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