NewsLocal News

Actions

Kingsville ISD holds State of the District

Superintendent highlights struggles and successes
State of The District.PNG
Posted at 5:41 PM, Jun 07, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-07 19:29:57-04

KINGSVILLE, Texas — The Kingsville Independent School District held its 2nd annual State of the District Tuesday morning at H.M. King High School.

There was a luncheon, discussion of the pandemic's impact on the district and the induction of some KISD alumni into the district's Hall of Fame.

But a discussion of school security, in light of the tragedy two weeks ago in Uvalde, was inescapable.

"It's a very scary time right now, so we all have to pull together, we all have to come together to help be the eyes and ears of any strangers that may be approaching our campuses," KISD Superintendent Dr. Cissy Reynolds-Perez said.

Reynolds-Perez spoke to KRIS 6 News about what the district is doing to make sure students and staff feel safe going to school.

After the State of the District event, the superintendent planned to meet with State Representative J.M. Lozano and other superintendents from the area.

The topic of discussion?

Hashing out some of the things they hope lawmakers in the upcoming legislative session will support in the way of funding for school safety and beefed up security.

Reynolds-Perez says districts like hers are already doing their part.

"We have security officers, in fact today, this morning, we interviewed six people for security and, because we have security already in place, but we wanted to add more," she said. "And actually, this was about four weeks before the Uvalde incident occurred. We had already hoped for it, you know, we had already planned for it."

The superintendent will continue to push the safety agenda that has become a must for schools since the mass shooting in Uvalde.

The day after the State of the District event, Reynolds-Perez planned to meet with Kleberg County Judge Rudy Madrid to talk about ideas they have to protect schools.

One safety enhancement she insists on is boots on the ground.

"For school safety, we really need live surveillance," Reynolds-Perez said. "You know, cameras are kind of reactive so we really need to be proactive."

For Superintendent Dr. Cissy Reynolds-Perez, the KISD State of the District was a time to talk about the positive things the district has accomplished in the past year.

But she acknowledges that the district's struggles must also be discussed and the biggest struggle faced by all districts at this time, is school safety.