IWA upgrades campus safety

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Incarnate Word Academy faculty and staff will receive training on Friday, March 1, on the school’s shelter-in-place and general safety procedures.

Maricela Cuevas, with the Corpus Christi Fire Department-Local Emergency Planning Committee, and Senior Officer Travis Pace with the Corpus Christi Police Department will instruct faculty and staff on these procedures.

“The safety and security of our children is and has been a chief responsibility of our school,” IWA President Charles D. Imbergamo said. “We are blessed to operate a campus in which our children not only feel safe, but also understand and respect others’ rights to the same safety.”

IWA has recently undertaken two additional measures to increase the physical security of its campus before, during, and after school hours.

The first measure includes the installation of new gates complete with new lock systems and gate closures for the school’s Pavilion and James R. Dougherty Center. The second measure is the installation of doors that will make the entrance to the James R. Dougherty Center more secure for students. It also allows the school to keep other exterior doors locked during the day, making those inside the James R. Dougherty Center more secure throughout the day.

In addition, IWA will be utilizing Parent Alert, a mass notification system comprised of text messaging to cell phones, voice calls to any phone and email whenever an emergency arises concerning the campus.

Other security measures being worked on include expanding surveillance camera systems and automated entry door security at entrance doors for schools and offices where such systems do not yet exist.

IWA continues to focus on internal procedures and vigilance in supervising the campus and its students. On Jan. 16, 14 members of the school community, including the school president, attended a school safety presentation at the Del Mar College Center of Economic Development, where they received the latest advices from law enforcement on how to handle crisis situations.

Recently, the Local Emergency Planning Committee provided the school several Emergency Safety Kits, which consist of items necessary for chemical emergencies. These items include a container with a towel, duct tape, masking tape, flashlight, radio and batteries.

“Together with our community first responders and safety personnel, we will continue to achieve even greater campus safety and security, while retaining our wonderful environment of mutual respect and personal responsibility in the process,” Imbergamo said.