Safety & Security
At Northwest ISD, the safety and security of our students, staff, faculty, and visitors is a top priority. We are committed to fostering a secure learning environment through proactive planning, training, and collaboration with our community and law enforcement partners.
Our district maintains a robust Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), which outlines comprehensive procedures for emergency mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery in the event of natural or human-caused disasters. This plan is reviewed and updated annually in coordination with district leadership and local emergency response personnel. It is also shared with all relevant staff to ensure clarity in roles, responsibilities, and emergency protocols.
The EOP includes detailed guidance for emergency actions and establishes clear chains of command, response teams, and action steps to follow in a crisis. Our district regularly conducts training and emergency drills—such as fire, evacuation, reverse evacuation, lockdowns, shelter-in-place, and severe weather drills—across all campuses. These drills reinforce proper procedures and ensure students and staff are prepared to respond effectively during emergencies.
Northwest ISD has strengthened its safety and security framework through the establishment of a dedicated Safety and Security Department. This team oversees the implementation of safety protocols, leads training efforts, and works directly with campus leaders to assess and address potential risks. As part of our district-wide safety strategy, our safety and security audit team conducts formal audits of each campus on a rotating three-year schedule to identify areas for improvement and ensure compliance with best practices and state guidelines.
We are proud to partner with local law enforcement agencies, including the Fort Worth Police Department, Wise County Sheriff's Office, Trophy Club Police Department, and Roanoke Police Department. These partnerships provide school resource officers (SROs) on our campuses, ensuring a consistent law enforcement presence. These officers not only enhance safety but also serve as trusted mentors and community liaisons, maintaining active communication with their respective departments.
Through these coordinated efforts, Northwest ISD remains committed to creating a safe, responsive, and prepared environment for every member of our school community.
REPORTING A SAFETY CONCERN
Northwest ISD offers a safety tipline where any student, parent or community member can submit a concern. These tips are monitored by the safety and security team throughout the day and provided to campus leaders when relevant. Campus-specific tip links are located on the right sidebar of every school website under the "Tipline" button. The tipline is also available on any district webpage under the "Find it Fast" menu as "Crimestoppers."
STANDARD RESPONSE PROTOCOL
In alignment with best practices, Northwest ISD uses the Standard Response Protocol, or SRP, supported by the Texas School Safety Center. This SRP aligns with school districts across Texas to provide a consistent response plan in the event of an emergency. For full preparedness, each Northwest ISD conducts drills annually over the SRP. While we hope no true crisis occurs, schools, staff and students must be prepared with knowledge of how to respond to keep our campuses safe.
| Response | Description |
|---|---|
 Hold |
Hold is followed by the Directive: "In Your Room or Area" and is the protocol used when hallways need to be kept clear of occupants. |
 Secure |
Secure is followed by the Directive: "Get Inside. Lock Outside Doors" and is the protocol used to safeguard people within the building. |
 Lockdown |
Lockdown is followed by "Locks, Lights, Out of Sight" and is the protocol used to secure individual rooms and keep occupants quiet and in place. |
 Evacuate |
Evacuate may be followed by a location and is used to move people from one location to a different location in or out of the building. |
 Shelter |
Shelter and state the Hazard and Safety Strategy for group and self protection. |
As part of our emergency operations plan, each campus practices fire, evacuation, reverse evacuation, exterior lockdown, full lockdown, safe shelter and bad weather drills throughout the year. This allows our district administrators to be sure that faculty/staff and students know the correct procedures in the event of an emergency. Additionally, our district conducts safety and security audits of every campus in the district on a rotating basis every three years.
WHAT TO DO DURING AN EMERGENCY
In the event of a serious emergency that may require a law enforcement or medical response, always call 911 as a first response. If 911 is called from a Northwest ISD landline, the safety and security department can monitor the call. Additionally, safety and security personnel can monitor cameras and microphones in rooms and buildings to assist first responders.
|
Step 1 |
Step 2 |
Step 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Call 911 and talk to the operator so he or she can provide first responders with accurate information for the best response possible. | If you are a student or staff member, alert a campus administrator so they can take action. | Follow the Standard Response Protocol listed above once called by the campus administrator. |
HOW NORTHWEST ISD RESPONDS TO THREATS
The safety of all students, staff and community members is the first priority of Northwest ISD, as learning cannot take place unless students are safe in schools. Threats of any kind against Northwest ISD or any of its schools are not tolerated, and our district has procedures in place to respond to threats.
The Northwest ISD Safety and Security Department works with local police departments to investigate every potential threat for the safety of everyone in schools. Security team members and police vet every serious rumor, with tremendous effort put into tracking down the source and keeping students and staff safe. For information about how Northwest ISD responds to threats, please view the page below.
FIREARM STORAGE REQUIREMENTS
Texas law now requires school districts to share information with families about the safe storage of firearms. Learn more about secure storage options, how to talk with children about firearm safety, and state requirements by visiting our Safe Storage page linked below.