KILLEEN, Texas (KXXV) — Killeen Independent School District (KISD) and community leaders are emphasizing student relationship-building and community partnerships as key strategies for school safety and violence prevention. KISD Police Chief Erik Hydron says student tips have been more effective than technology for weapon detection, crediting strong campus relationships. A community panel brought together district leaders and parents to discuss conflict resolution and connecting families with support resources, with community members stressing that violence prevention education must start at home.
- Student relationships key: KISD Police Chief says building campus relationships is primary safety strategy
- Tips beat technology: Student tips more effective than detection systems for finding weapons
- Community collaboration: Panel unites district leaders, parents on violence prevention strategies
- Conflict resolution focus: Alliance helps students resolve disputes without fighting
- Prevention starts at home: Education and awareness must begin with families
- Multi-group support: Churches and organizations provide comprehensive family resources
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A community panel focused on student safety and violence prevention brought together Killeen ISD leaders and parents months after the tragic death of 14-year-old Serenity Baker at Roy J. Smith Middle School.
Baker's father filed a lawsuit against Killeen ISD and Evolv Technologies in September following her fatal stabbing earlier this year.
The lawsuit claims the school's weapons detection system was not working at the time of the incident and accuses both the district and the technology company of negligence and security failures.
The district has admitted the detection systems weren't functioning the day Baker was stabbed.
Since Baker's death, Killeen ISD has been implementing new approaches to reach students and strengthen safety measures across campuses.
"My biggest focus is for those officers is to build relationships with those kids on their campus," said KISD Police Chief Erik Hydron.
The community panel, which was unrelated to the ongoing lawsuit, brought together district leaders and parents to discuss better ways to connect with students and prevent violence before it occurs.
Community member Les Williams emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts in supporting young people.
"The youth are our future, and we care about our youth," Williams said. "This alliance here that is about helping students and families bring conflict resolution, not through fighting, that's novelty."
Williams stressed that while technology and communication are important tools, education and awareness must begin at home.
"We want to connect community members, churches, organizations, where to go to get the best help necessary to help raise up a generations that's going to make this place better," Williams said.
Hydron highlighted the effectiveness of building relationships with students as a key safety strategy.
"Our primary way of locating weapons was from tips through students. That was extremely effective, but we wouldn't have been able to do that if we hadn't built those relationships on the front end," Hydron said.
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