Our number one priority at Pasadena ISD is the safety and security of our students, staff, and community. While our district has always been committed to maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for our students, we continuously review our current safety practices and evolve to ensure that we are constantly doing our very best to keep students safe.
Pasadena ISD has adopted the Standard Response Protocol (SRP), a nationally-recognized, proven methodology that ensures a uniform response by faculty, staff and students to school-based emergencies.
About SRP
The Standard Response Protocol has been developed for implementation within K-12 and university education settings by the “I Love U Guys” Foundation, a Colorado-based non-profit organization committed to student safety. The SRP has been endorsed by the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC), the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the office of the Governor for the State of Texas. Administrators, campus staff and students are trained each school year on SRP and conduct SRP-based emergency drills each semester, as well as state-mandated fire drills, to reinforce emergency preparedness. While SRP is not a replacement for school safety plans or programs, it standardizes Pasadena ISD’s approach to emergency management by providing for consistent terminology and response actions during an emergency.
SRP Actions
The SRP is all-hazard in nature, meaning it is not based on individual scenarios, but rather on the response to any given scenario. The most significant benefit of the SRP is the standard language used by teachers, students, parents, staff and first responders. The protocol also allows for a predictable series of actions as an incident unfolds. The SRP is based upon five actions: Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, Shelter and Hold. Each action provides specific staff and student directives that are unique to the action.
To meet federal requirements, the Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management and participating entities are updating the Harris County Multi-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan before the current plan expires in July 2025. The information on this website is intended as a reference for our mitigation planning partners and the public.
Hold is issued to quickly clear all hallways. Students and staff remain in their classroom or current area, and school business continues as usual. A Hold may be called during a medical emergency, an urgent maintenance issue or any situation requiring cleared hallways.
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Parents
Secure occurs when an indirect hazard exists outside of the building. Secure utilizes the physical facility to act as protection. School business continues as usual, once staff and students are brought in from outside and perimeter doors are secured. No movement occurs in or out.
Students
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Parents
Lockdown occurs when there is a threat/hazard inside the building. Interior security features are used to protect staff & students. Individual classroom doors are secured, occupants remain silent/out of sight & lights are turned off. Barricading of doors or self-evacuation may occur.
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Evacuate occurs when students and staff must leave the building. Students and staff are calmly transitioned to predetermined evacuation assembly points. For hazards other than fire, the type of hazard and special instructions are announced.
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Shelter occurs when protection is necessary against incidents such as tornados or hazardous materials. Shelter actions vary by hazard, & may include: severe weather (transition to pre-designated shelter areas), hazmat (close doors/windows, turn off HVAC systems) or earthquake (drop/take cover).
Students
Teachers
Parents
Standardization of emergency response actions from campus to campus reduces the amount of time required for protective measures to be implemented, and therefore can prevent or mitigate the potential negative effects of an incident. Pasadena ISD has adopted the Standard Response Protocol (SRP), a proven methodology that ensures a uniform response to school-based emergencies.
The SRP is not based on individual scenarios, but rather on the response to any given scenario. One large benefit of the SRP is the standard language used by all responders; this includes students, parents, staff and first responders. The protocol also allows for all involved to use a predictable series of actions. This standardization in response ensures that all incidents are handled in the same manner district-wide and everyone knows what is happening or what to do as an event unfolds.
The SRP has been developed for implementation in K-12 and university environments by the “I Love You Guys” Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to student safety. In addition to receiving an endorsement by the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC), the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the office of the Governor for the State of Texas, the SRP is currently being used by thousands of school districts across the nation.
During an emergency, Pasadena ISD will utilize the same methodologies used for day-to-day communications with parents. This may include phone calls, emails or text messages from the district Communications Department or your campus administrator.
Pasadena ISD will contact you using the same tools used for day-to-day communications with parents. This may include phone calls, emails or text messages from the district Communications Department or your campus administrator.
Parents are urged to stay home and await instructions from the district anytime SRP-based protective measures are being utilized to ensure the safety and security of students and staff.
During a Secure or Lockdown, traffic routes around the school must remain clear to allow for arriving first responder agencies. Both of these SRP-based actions will result in an increase in police presence as the circumstances are investigated. In addition, no-one is allowed in or out of a Pasadena ISD facility during a Secure or Lockdown. Parents congregating near the front entrance of a Pasadena ISD facility during a Secure or Lockdown may create additional perceived risks for responding police agencies while the credibility of a threat or hazard is being evaluated.
Evacuate, Shelter and Hold actions are typically resolved in a very short amount of time once a hazard has passed or has been determined to be a non-issue.