Monday, tomorrow, we’re back to school, AP! Are you ready?
I know the teachers are, in fact, they are back at it already, preparing for Monday, August 14th. Additionally, here at APPD, we spent a good portion of our summer gearing up for the new school year. You canย learn about many of our training efforts, once released, that went into preparing for this new school year. A significant portion of our training emphasized school safety. In fact, this year we carried out our first full-scale training exercise. Again, stay tuned for that media release soon.
Just as we recap annually, here are some notable highlights…
Plan ahead! The first few days of school are hectic and full of traffic. Prepare the day before and plan on leaving a bit early and spending some extra time getting your little ones off. We also have many new residents and students in town. Welcome to AP!
Walkers
Educate your children about the basic rules of the road. For example:
- Never cross during a red light, wait for green,
- Wear visible or reflective clothing,
- Use known and direct routes to and from school,
- Walk in groups. It’s safer.
Parents, teach your children to avoid suspicious locations, situations, or people and report suspicious activity to a person of trust (teacher, parent, police officer, or other trusted adult). A good way to know and avoid some of these places is by visiting our Sex Offender Page, the Texas DPS Sex Offender Map, and clicking on the dots in the iOS and Android app, Life360. Through our partnership with Life360, we share police activity with the app directly.
Cyclists
Cyclists must obey the rules of the road. This means cyclists must stop for red lights and stop signs, etc.
Bicycles must be equipped with – front & rear reflectors and red taillight & clear headlights (after dark). It’s always a good idea to wear bright or reflective clothing too, just like walkers.
Motorists
HANG UP AND DRIVE! – Using your cell phone for calls or texting is prohibited citywide, not just in a school zone. You will receive a citation, so hang up and drive. We’ll be watching!

Plan for traffic and delays! It’s always busy the first few weeks of school. Be mindful of children on bikes and on foot because they may occasionally dart out in front of you.
Tools & Info for Parents
Emergency Response SRP Program
Standard Response Protocol is the emergency response mechanism we utilized throughout APISD and the City of Aransas Pass. We encourage businesses, private organizations, and our parents and visitors to familiarize themselves with this program. Learn the common language and know what’s going on in the event we issue a public notification of a lockdown, hold, secure, etc.

Easy to understand.
Easy to implement.
A uniform, planned, and practiced response to any incident is the foundation of a safe school. Safe business. Safe community. The SRP is action-based, flexible, and easy to learn. It rationally organizes tactics for response to weather events, fires, accidents, intruders and other threats to personal safety.
The SRPโs development is ever-evolving, created with extensive collaboration between experts such as first responders, public safety, school, districts, and communities. Its tactics are data-driven, researched and based on experience and contemporary practices.
On the Same Page. Everyone.
The benefits of SRP become quickly apparent. By standardizing the vocabulary, all stakeholders can understand the response and status of the event.
For students, this provides continuity of expectations and actions throughout their educational career. For teachers, this becomes a simpler process to train and drill. For communities, it leverages the growing adoption of the protocols from residents of all ages. For first responders, the common vocabulary and protocols establish a greater predictability that persists through the duration of an incident.
People easily understand the practices and can reinforce the protocol. Additionally, this protocol enables rapid response determination when an unforeseen event occurs.
SRP is Action Based
The Standard Response Protocol (SRP) is based on the response to any given situation not on individual scenarios. Like the Incident Command System (ICS), SRP demands a specific vocabulary but also allows for great flexibility. The premise is simple – these five specific actions that can be performed during an incident. When communicating these, the action is labeled with a “Term of Art” and is then followed by a “Directive.” Execution of the action is performed by active participants.
Information provided courtesy of the “I Love U Guys” Foundation.
Life360
Remember, we partner with Life360. It’s free and a good way to keep track of the family while the kiddos are off to school and the adults are off to work. I personally subscribe and use it for my family and have for years. APPD shares crime data directly with them so you too can keep tabs on public safety activity around the areas your loved ones frequent. Here’s how to see that data:



* Locations are rounded to block numbers to protect privacy. Sensitive matters or matters of personal security like extra patrols are excluded.
If you have any questions or comments about this service, feel free to contact me.