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LISD approves new security system
File photo
By CHRIS ROARK, croark@acnpapers.com
Schools in Lewisville ISD could be getting a little safer. On Monday, the LISD Board of Trustees voted 6-1 to approve the Raptor visitor sign-in and screening system for all its campuses.
Previously, only the five high schools plus Griffin Middle School in The Colony and Indian Creek and Liberty elementary schools had the system.
When a visitor comes to a school, a staff member scans his or her drivers license into the system, which performs a live search against the national sex offender's database. If a match is found, an administrator would come to the front to handle the situation.
Board member Mike McDaniel said he wants the students to be safe but questioned if there is a better system out there.
"In my opinion, protecting the students is our top priority, and if we can't do that, we shouldn't let them into the schools," McDaniel said. "But I've done my homework on this, and I'm not sure it will protect them as well as it could."
McDaniel said he talked to several campuses that use the system to get their input. One of the top complaints, he said, was that the system would come up with matches, though often it was the same name but different person.
"Talking with [Lewisville High School principal] Brad Burns, he said his school usually gets four to five matches a year, but only 30 percent are accurate."
McDaniel said Marcus' matches were only 40 percent correct, and Liberty's hits got the wrong person every time.
In the meantime, McDaniel said, it was tying up administrators' time when often times the visitor isn't really a sex offender.
McDaniel also said Raptor only checks for a child sex offense but not other crimes such as kidnapping, murder, assault, terrorism or gang activity.
"I think there are other systems that can work a whole lot better," McDaniel said.
Board members agreed that Raptor may not be perfect, but they wanted something in place.
"If we can catch one sex offender and keep that person from being a chaperone at one event, then it's worth it," said Vernell Gregg, board president.
Tom Ferguson, board vice president, noted that the district has spent more to protect less.
"We once spent $180,000 to put fences up to protect our grass," Ferguson said. "So if we get just one hit on this system, it's worth it."
The system will be implemented throughout the spring to be fully operational by the 2012-13 school year.
Also Monday, the board approved the hiring of Dane Johnson as Flower Mound High School head football coach and Gregg Miller as Lewisville High School head football coach.
Johnson comes to Flower Mound from Boerne, where he led the team to the playoffs this past season. He takes over for Cody Vanderford, who was reassigned in December. Vanderford had been the only head coach in the school's history, compiling a 59-65 record in 12 seasons.
Miller takes over at Lewisville after the reassigning of Dick Olin in December. Olin went 7-23 after three seasons at Lewisville.
Miller spent 12 seasons at Katy High School, where he served as assistant coach for some of the most prolific teams in the state.
The hiring process featured a new system brought to the district by LISD Superintendent Dr. Stephen Waddell from his days at Birdville ISD. Waddell implemented a process in which community members, teachers, principals, coaches, the superintendent and other top administrators providing vision and input, as well as often sitting in on interviews.
"A year ago, we hired Dr. Waddell," said Dr. Linda Haynes, associate superintendent for staff and community relations. "And as a result, he brought to us a process of community involvement that we've never had before. This result tonight was from the board's hard work and the superintendent's desire to make decisions more inclusively."
Athletic Director Randy Mayes said the committee helped find the coaches that possessed the qualities LISD was looking for the most.
"We wanted to get great character guys who had a love and respect for kids," Mayes said. "All of the candidates were like that, but these two just really stood out. [Athletic Director] Willa Gipson at Birdville ISD told me that after sitting on one of two of these, you realize how good they are. I've been on three of these committees -- one for basketball and two for football -- and all three of these have been a consensus."
Miller had been first assistant head coach since 2005 and defensive coordinator since 2004. He had also been the summer strength and conditioning coordinator since 2004.
While he was at Katy, the team compiled a 146-19 record and was 58-8 in the playoffs while capturing 11 district titles and four Class 5A state championships.
"I feel like things happen for a reason," Miller said. "This job opened up, and I felt real good about it. When I first started coaching in Wichita Falls in the early 90s and the mid-90s, that was when Lewisville was making its run. So I was aware of what was going on down here. So when I saw the job was open, I knew it was a big job, and I knew what was expected in the community."
Johnson, a former running back at Carroll High School from 1991-1993, helped open Boerne High School in 2009. In just its second year of varsity football, Johnson led the team to the Class 3A playoffs.
Before that, he spent 2004-2008 at Hebron as defensive coordinator. The Hawks were district champions all four years and won the Class 4A Division II State Championship in 2007.
Johnson said he told the committee that this is a dream job.
"This district ... if it's not the best district in Texas, it's one of the best," Johnson said. "To be able to be at a school and in a community with the expectations, involvement and support that they have, you can‘t ask for much more."
As far as the new interviewing process, Johnson said he liked it.
"It was very different," Johnson said. "I hadn't heard of anything like that before. So to go through it was very interesting. You get everyone there at the same time, you have all your interviews right there, and then they can discuss it. It worked out for me, so I liked it."
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