Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth's schools begin second year with enhanced campus security
Cierra Balderas, a school resource officer at St. Joseph Catholic School, escorts students outside to the school's greenhouse on Sept. 29, 2022 in Arlington.
The 4,237 students returning to the 17 Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth Catholic schools will now find enhanced security in place for the second year.
The backbone of the Fort Worth Catholic schools' security program is the School Resource Officers or SROs. Off-duty police officers are contracted through RollKall, which is a platform that allows off-duty officers to sign up for shifts at Fort Worth Catholic diocesan schools to provide security services during the school day.
Mike Short, diocesan director of security, said several officers are returning from last year, so students, families, and staff see familiar faces and can have peace of mind that their students are safe.
“The SRO program is designed to build trust with police officers, act as a deterrent, and provide a rapid response if anything happens. They are on-site to ensure the safety of students and staff,” Short said.
When Fort Worth Catholic School Superintendent Brinton Smith and other diocesan administrators looked at what would improve safety the most, the answer was clear.
Smith said, “The best form of security is for students to have a police officer on campus if anything happens. As much as we appreciate technical security, like cameras and door [access controls], you can’t do any better than having a police officer on campus.”
School and parish security have been a major emphasis within the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth since 2018 when Bishop Michael F. Olson hired Short as a security consultant and later created a security department in 2020 naming Short, a former Lewisville police officer, as director.
Today, the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth school security measures include security film on windows at each of the schools to prevent rapid entry by intruders like experienced in the Nashville elementary school shooting last year; increasing the number of security cameras; and providing access control and other technology to aid in an emergency response. The security program also includes the fencing of school campuses, when feasible. Diocesan school staff continues to receive education on how to handle critical incidents and how to identify at-risk youth early in order to get them the help they need.
"All these things are put in place to protect what is super valuable--our children." Short said.
The Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth school security program is funded through a combination of diocesan funds, grants, and donor gifts. The cost of the school security program is estimated to be $2 million annually.
Short said the Fort Worth Catholic school's SRO officers also help educate school staff and students about what to watch out for on social media to better protect vulnerable students. In addition, the Catholic schools' SROs assist school faculty and staff with emergency response protocols.
Short said the Diocese has expanded its Guardian Ministry program, which provides screened and trained volunteers for church security, to assist at some school events, especially Nolan Catholic High School sporting events.
“We are working to utilize the Guardian Ministry to assist our schools,” he said. “It’s more eyes and ears to help assist officers.”
Please see what Short has to say about the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth SRO program here:
Catholic schools within the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth are:
Fort Worth Locations
All Saints
2006 N. Houston St.
PreK - 8th Grade
Cassata
1400 Hemphill St.
High School
Holy Family
6146 Pershing Ave
PreK - 8th Grade
Nolan Catholic
4501 Bridge Street
9th - 12th Grade
Saint Andrew
3304 Dryden Road
PreK - 8th Grade
Saint George
824 Hudgins St.
PreK - 8th Grade
Saint Peter the Apostle
1201 S. Cherry Lane
PreK - 8th Grade
Saint Rita
712 Weiler Blvd.
PreK - 8th Grade
Arlington Locations
Saint Joseph
2015 SW Green Oaks
PreK - 8th
Saint Maria Goretti
1200 S. Davis Drive
PreK - 8th Grade
Additional Tarrant County Locations
Holy Trinity
3750 William D. Tate, Grapevine
PreK - 8th Grade
Saint Elizabeth Ann, Keller
2016 Willis Lane
PreK - 8th Grade
Saint John the Apostle, North Richland Hills
7421 Glenview Dr.
PreK - 8th Grade
January 29, 2023
North Texas Locations
Immaculate Conception
2301 N. Bonnie Brea St., Denton
PreK - 8th Grade
Sacred Heart
153 E. 6th St. Munster
PreK - 12th Grade
Saint Martin de Porres,
4000 W. University Dr., Prosper
PreK - 8th Grade
Saint Mary
931 N. Weaver St. Gainesville
PreK - 8th Grade