ANDERSON, Texas (KRHD) — Anderson-Shiro Consolidated Independent School District will start the new school year with projects from the voter-approved bond, new safety features and a new state law.
- The statewide ban on cell phones and communication devices will be enforced, so students must keep their cell phones powered off and put away.
- The district will have a ballistic shield and breaching tool on each campus.
- The district expects to break ground on the new driveway in September, and on the new elementary school in January.
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15 ABC went to talk with officials at Anderson-Shiro CISD as they prepare for returning students, and changes.
Superintendent Dr. Sarah Borowicz said safety is a top concern heading into the new school year.
"Last year in the fall, we had our district vulnerability assessment with the Texas Education Agency. We passed with flying colors." Borowicz said.
“And with the new legislation, we are required to have a ballistic shield and a breaching tool on each campus as well, so we’re making sure we’ve got those things in place moving forward,” she added.
Carter Benton, who has an incoming senior student, is pleased about having a school resource officer on each campus.
"I'm so happy to see an officer there that gets to interact with the kids, and that's important for their future when they have an interaction with a police officer later down the road - they know they're good guys, not bad guys," Benton said.
Borowicz said she’s excited to start working on the bond projects.
“We’re probably gonna have our groundbreaking for the new driveway in September, and then we’re planning on having groundbreaking sometime in January for the new elementary school,” she said.
Benton said the arrival of AI and new technology from the bond is really needed.
“The upgrades coming through the bond package for technology and things like that are gonna be well used, and we need them badly,” Benton said.
There is also a new state law banning cell phones and communication devices.
But Lisa Arredondo, a grandmother of two students, thinks the rule needs to be loosened.
“I do feel the kids should be able to have their phones for emergencies and letting their parents know when they have to stay after school,” Arredondo said.
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