3 Jun 2003
Superintendent Reminds Students To Follow Rules, Advises Parents Horseplay Will Not Be Tolerated
DALLAS—In order to facilitate a smooth end of the 2002-03 school year, Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Mike Moses has directed the district's Police and Security Department to put in place additional security measures for visibility and safety that include cooperative measures between county constables, DART and the Dallas Police Department to keep kids safe.
Moses said the efforts are underway to beef up security measures, to let parents know that the district is being proactive and serious about students who might act inappropriately, and to protect the property of Dallas taxpayers.
"We want all students to know we expect them to be on their best behavior the remaining three days of school," Moses said. "Parents need to know that horseplay or more serious offenses at the schools are not going to be tolerated. They also need to know that we are taking extra measures in cooperation with additional law enforcement agencies in the area to keep our campuses safe learning environments."
The superintendent said that to ensure student safety, the district's police department has made arrangements with Dallas County Constables and DPD to provide extra visibility patrols during the week.
Moses also said that DART has been provided copies of school dismissal schedules and is providing additional patrols on bus stops and rail lines.
"In addition to these measures, our DPD school liaison officers will be complemented with the temporary hiring of additional officers to assist with dismissal schedules during the week," Moses said. "We want to make sure we do a good job of getting children home safely after the school day and that there is little room or tolerance for inappropriate behavior."
The superintendent also asked all news media outlets in the Metroplex to remind drivers that school will be in session in Dallas ISD until Friday afternoon.
"Our school zones will be active during morning drive times and in the afternoons so drivers need to be cautious," Moses said. "School has let out in many of our surrounding districts, but we are still in session, which means there are still 164,000 children making their way to and from school each morning and afternoon. We don't want a single one of them hurt from a mishap in a school zone when it could have been avoided."
The superintendent also said that district personnel are securing property that belongs on each campus. Property that might be stolen or damaged in portable classrooms is being moved inside to the main building on campus.
"We have an awesome responsibility to the taxpayers to properly account for and take care of the property that we use in our schools," Moses said. "Over the next week all principals and building personnel in each school have an active schedule to make sure they know what equipment they have and to make sure it is properly stored away for the summer."