A statewide system is helping school districts in Texas create and execute an emergency plan.

“As a state, everyone was doing things differently, there wasn't one way of doing it,” John Scott, TEA chief of school safety and security, said. “Sentinel is a one-stop shop for everything school safety."

On July 25, Gov. Greg Abbott announced the launch of Sentinel. According to a news release, Sentinel is the Texas Education Agency’s formal school safety system designed to collect, process, store, and distribute school safety and security information.

“When a superintendent or police chief needs something, they may have to start at the bottom and work their way up with another state agency. We're able to start at the top,” Scott said. “They're able to notify TEA of an emergency school closure."

Sentinel is designed for everyone, but has school districts like Sharyland in mind. Sharyland ISD has campuses in several cities, but unlike other districts, they don't have a police department. The district has to be in constant contact with all the law enforcement agencies that they rely on.

Juan Heredia, who oversees security at Sharyland ISD, says he introduced his team to the new system on Thursday.

“It is a task, it is a challenge,” Heredia said, adding that he recently discussed Sentinel with nearby law enforcement agencies that oversee the district.

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