Walking

Pedestrian injuries are the second leading cause of unintentional injury related deaths among children ages 5-14. Experts recommend that children under age 10 never cross the street alone. Safety tips for parents include:

• Choosing the safest route between home and school and practicing it with children until they can demonstrate traffic safety awareness. The same route should be used every day. Shortcuts should be avoided.
• Teaching children to obey and recognize traffic signals and pavement markings. A flashing “walk” sign is not an automatic “go” signal, but rather a signal to check for traffic in both directions before crossing.
• Teaching children to cross streets at a corner or crosswalk and to walk—NOT RUN—across intersections.
• Emphasizing that children should not enter streets from between parked cars or from behind shrubbery. Such darting results in the majority of child pedestrian deaths.

Riding Bikes

Bike riding is a favorite mode of transportation for children, but it can often be dangerous. Bicycle safety tips include:

• Making sure that children wear bike helmets at all times while riding. Head injury is the leading cause of death in bike crashes. Helmets can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent, according to studies.
• Obeying the rules of the road. Children should know that the rules of the road apply to all vehicles. Bike riders ride on the right-hand side of the road in the same direction as other traffic and they must use appropriate hand signals.
• Choosing the safest route between home and school and practicing it with children until they can demonstrate traffic safety awareness.

Driving Children

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths among children ages 14 and under, according to the National Safe Kids Campaign. Some 75 percent of these crashes occur within 25 miles of home and 60 percent take place on roads with posted speed limits of 40 miles per hour or less. Important safety guidelines for parents include:

• Always using safety seats and/or safety belts correctly when driving or riding in a car.
• Obeying the drop-off and pick up procedures established by the school.
• Obeying the drop-off and pick up procedures established by the school.
• Making sure that children enter and leave the car on its curbside.

Bus Safety

Waiting for the School Bus

• Walk to the bus stop using a sidewalk if there is one. If there is no sidewalk, stay on the left side of the street facing the traffic.
• While waiting for the school bus to arrive stay at the bus stop. Do not wander down the street, into a wooded area or onto private property.
• Do not speak to strangers while waiting for the bus.
• Do not go into the street while waiting for the bus to arrive.
• Do not roughhouse, run or play with your friends while waiting for the bus to arrive.
• When the bus approaches, line up away from the street. Wait for the bus to come to a complete stop and has the door open before stepping into the road.

Rules for Boarding the School Bus

• Hold the handrail when getting into the school bus.
• Do not push or shove others when they are online or are boarding the bus.
• Once you are on the bus, quickly find a seat, sit down, and stay seated.

Riding on the School Bus

• Stay in your seat.
• If the bus is equipped with a seat belt, make sure to fasten it securely.
• Never put your head, hands or arms out of the school bus window.
• Do not yell or make other loud noises that could distract the bus driver. Talk quietly while on the bus.
• Do not eat or drink anything while riding on the bus.
• Do not block the bus aisle with backpacks, books or musical instruments. If an emergency should arise it is important that the aisle is clear.
• Do not touch or play with the emergency exits
• Do not throw things at others on the bus or out of the bus windows.
• When you reach the school, or your bus stop on the return trip home, have your things ready so you can leave without holding up others on the bus.

Getting Off the School Bus

• Stay in your seat until the bus comes to a complete stop at the school or at your bus stop on the trip home.
• Walk to the front of the bus and use the handrail while stepping off of the bus.
• Do not get off the bus at a bus stop other then your designated stop.
• Once you get off of the school bus, go straight home. Do not talk to strangers on the way.
• If you leave something on the bus and have already walked away from the door, do not go back for it. The bus driver may not see you coming back and may start driving away.

How to file a complaint:

Complaints against a Flour Bluff ISD police officer or personnel must be submitted in writing and signed by the person making the complaint to the Chief of Police. Verbal complaints by telephone may be made by calling 361-694-9904. Complainants are encouraged to identify themselves. A signed letter will be sufficient to serve as a complaint after the information has been verified.

Texas Government Code, Title 6, Chapter 614.022. COMPLAINT TO BE IN WRITING AND SIGNED BY COMPLAINANT states that for the complaint to be considered by the head of a state agency or by the head of a fire department or local law enforcement agency, the complaint must be: in writing; and signed by the person making the complaint.Formal complaints may be filed by phone, by letter, or in person. In order to file a complaint, you may contact Flour Bluff ISD Police.

To file a written complaint, mail or deliver to

Flour Bluff ISD Police Department
Attn: Chief Eric Gonzalez
2505 Waldron Road
Corpus Christi, TX 78418

Bullying

How does the law affect a school’s response to bullying?

• School districts are required to include cyberbullying policies in their district policies and notify parents if their child has been the victim of bullying or is the alleged aggressor.
• The bill requires school districts to develop an anonymous system to report bullying and threats.
• School districts have a greater ability to investigate off-campus bullying if they see it materialize in school, enabling school districts and law enforcement agencies to collaborate on investigations.
• School districts have greater latitude to discipline or expel students for severe bullying behavior, including encouraging a child to commit or attempt suicide.
• The legislation enables law enforcement to unmask anonymous social media users who threaten others.
• Students can be charged with a misdemeanor for harassing or bullying anyone under the age of 18 through text messages, social media, websites, apps, or other means; and provides additional counseling and rehabilitation services to the aggressor and victim.

How does the law affect a parent’s response to bullying?

• A child can be charged with a crime for certain forms of cyberbullying or online harassment.
• If your child is bullied, you can obtain injunctive relief from the courts to stop and/or prevent cyberbullying of your child.
• Courts may hold parents accountable if they could have taken reasonable actions to get their child to cease engaging in cyberbullying and failed to do so.

What is David’s Law?

During the State of Texas 85th Legislative Session, Senate Bill 179, also known as David’s Law, was passed and signed into Texas State Law. David’s Law is named after 16-year old David Molak, a high school student in San Antonio, who died by suicide after being harassed online. The bill aims to bring awareness and new policies to schools to combat cyberbullying. Senate Bill 179 classifies cyberbullying as a Class A misdemeanor offense. By doing so, the courts may issue subpoenas and uncover people who are posting anonymously online. The law also requires intervention from public schools when any cyberbullying behavior is suspected. Parents of students who cyberbully others may also be held responsible if they could have intervened but didn’t. Click here for a printable PDF summary of David’s Law from the David’s Legacy Foundation.

Parent Resources

Click on the link below to find helpful information to help you discuss this issue with your children:

StopBullying.gov

Helpful Resources

• Driscoll Children’s Hosptial
• Homeland Security Information
• Human Trafficking Information and Video
• MD Anderson Tobacco Cessation Program Aspire for Teens
• National Weather Service
• Texas Department of Public Safety
• Texas Senate Bill 30 Civilian Interaction with Law Enforcement Video
• School Safety 911
• Texas School Safety Center
• Children’s Advocacy Center

School Safety and Security Committee

Committee Meetings

Notice of District Safety and Security Committee Meeting – March 24, 2022

School Safety and Security Committee

Texas Education CodeSec. 37.109

(a) In accordance with guidelines established by the Texas School Safety Center, each school district shall establish a school safety and security committee.

• (a-1) The committee, to the greatest extent practicable, must include:
• (1) one or more representatives of an office of emergency management of a county or city in which the district is located;
• (2) one or more representatives of the local police department or sheriff’s office;
• (3) one or more representatives of the district’s police department, if applicable;
• (4) the president of the district’s board of trustees;
• (5) a member of the district’s board of trustees other than the president;
• (6) the district’s superintendent;
• (7) one or more designees of the district’s superintendent, one of whom must be a classroom teacher in the district;
  (8) if the district partners with an open-enrollment charter school to provide instruction to students, a member of the open-enrollment charter school’s governing body or a designee of the governing body; and (9) two parents or guardians of students enrolled in the district.

(b) The committee shall:

• (1) participate on behalf of the district in developing and implementing emergency plans consistent with the district multihazard emergency operations plan required by Section 37.108 (Multihazard Emergency Operations Plan; Safety and Security Audit)(a) to ensure that the plans reflect specific campus, facility, or support services needs;
• (2) periodically provide recommendations to the district’s board of trustees and district administrators regarding updating the district multihazard emergency operations plan required by Section 37.108 (Multihazard Emergency Operations Plan; Safety and Security Audit)(a) in accordance with best practices identified by the agency, the Texas School Safety Center, or a person included in the registry established by the Texas School Safety Center under Section 37.2091 (Registry of Persons Providing School Safety or Security Consulting Services);
• (3) provide the district with any campus, facility, or support services information required in connection with a safety and security audit required by Section 37.108 (Multihazard Emergency Operations Plan; Safety and Security Audit)(b), a safety and security audit report required by Section 37.108 (Multihazard Emergency Operations Plan; Safety and Security Audit)(c), or another report required to be submitted by the district to the Texas School Safety Center;
• (4) review each report required to be submitted by the district to the Texas School Safety Center to ensure that the report contains accurate and complete information regarding each campus, facility, or support service in accordance with criteria established by the center; and
• (5) consult with local law enforcement agencies on methods to increase law enforcement presence near district campuses.
• (c) Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, the committee shall meet at least once during each academic semester and at least once during the summer. A committee established by a school district that operates schools on a year-round system or in accordance with another alternative schedule shall meet at least three times during each calendar year, with an interval of at least two months between each meeting.
• (d) The committee is subject to Chapter 551 (Open Meetings), Government Code, and may meet in executive session as provided by that chapter. Notice of a committee meeting must be posted in the same manner as notice of a meeting of the district’s board of trustees.Added by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1280 (H.B. 1831), Sec. 6.03, eff. September 1, 2009.