TULSA, Okla. -- — Tulsa Public Schools used the fall semester to secure every entrance possible. The latest addition was changing the system so people are buzzed through through three sets of doors to enter campus.
"Deep in the pit of your soul you worry about the worst things that could happen: what if? I don't fear our parents or our community. I think about those horror stories across the nation that you hear about, people that you didn't even know," McClure Elementary principal Katy Jimenez said.
Schools like McClure are also looking at risks like natural disasters and how to stay prepared in the event of a worst case scenario.
"Before we just were always in our big hallway together: 500 kids just sitting on the floor and teachers standing there and it's the idea of we were just standing there waiting for something terrible to happen and all of these lives depend on us and there's nothing we can do about it," Jimenez said.
The new FEMA safe room will open to students on Monday including stronger walls, garage doors to cover windows, and a closet filled with supplies.
In BIxby they launched the Say Something app for students to report incidents last month. Since then the district has received dozens of tips, with at least 15 showing a life-threatening risk.
"I think every school at this point in 2019 is looking for "what else can we do?" Because truly that is our top priority is to keep our students and staff safe at all times," superintendent Rob Miller said.
Multiple students received services as a result of the tips that came in.
"If we save the life of one kid or prevent one tragedy from happening here at Bixby Public Schools, it's worth every minute and every dollar that we've invested," Miller said.
The superintendent hopes to increase awareness in the year ahead.
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