HCDE’s Irvington employees gathered in the Conference Center on April 29 for the second Emergency Preparedness in the Workplace workshop facilitated by the Department’s Center for Safe and Secure Schools (CSSS). HCDE’s CSSS team is uniquely qualified to host these workshops because of the in-house expertise of school safety professionals, who are leaders in the field and routinely host seminars on campus security for local school districts.  

Director Leslie Etheridge and her team guided nearly 50 colleagues through the Standard Response Protocol (SRP), a nationally recognized methodology used by schools that ensures a uniform response by faculty, staff, students and first responders for school-based emergencies. The interactive workshop equipped attendees with the necessary tools to respond to threats and create a safe and secure working environment.  

Additionally, CSSS shared insights into its efforts to establish a public address system for Irvington, which will broadcast safety alerts and proper responses through the phone system. The new initiative is already being tested at HCDE’s North Post Oak location.  

During the workshop, attendees were presented with various site-specific scenarios and tasked with identifying the correct response. This training is part of HCDE’s commitment to ensuring that staff members are equipped to handle emergencies, prioritizing their safety and well-being.  

To learn more about the Center for Safe and Secure Schools, visit hcde-texas.org/CSSS.