Panic buttons part of new AISD security

AUSTIN (KXAN) - New security features are being added inside Austin schools to prevent tragedies.

The action is a direct response to lessons learned in from the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut last December.

Teachers and staff members will have new panic buttons at their fingertips. They are currently being installed on campuses, however, the district is keeping the exact location a secret to the public for safety reasons.

More surveillance cameras will be added to the 3600 the district currently uses on the interior and exterior of campuses. Austin ISD police have the ability to monitor the cameras around the clock at their dispatch center.

AISD Police Chief Eric Mendez says new locks are also going on every door in every school.

It should all be in place by the end of the year. The added safety tools will be paid for with more than $21 million in bond money.

There are also requests for added security measures in the current bond package that will be laid out to voters during a bond election in May.

In the next budget process, Chief Mendez also plans on asking the school board to increase patrols near elementary schools.