Safety

Red Ribbon Week

Each year in October, Pittsburg joins with the nation to participate in Red Ribbon Week. This is the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the country. It serves as a vehicle for communities and individuals to take a stand for the hopes and dreams of our children through a commitment to drug prevention and education and a personal commitment to live drug free lives with the ultimate goal being the creation of a drug free America.

'Drug Dogs' on Campus

In our quest to keep all students and staff as safe as possible, the Pittsburg ISD uses canine services for random searches of prohibited items that may be on campuses. The canines will detect alcoholic beverages, firearms and ammunition, prescription and over-the-counter medications.  

The campus inspections shall be unannounced and may occur numerous times during the school year.  A campus administrator will always accompany the search team during the process.  The canines are “passive alert” animals which means that when something is located the dogs will usually sit beside the item in question.

The students will not be in close proximity when the canines as they are performing the search.  Again, the safety and security of our students is our number one goal!

In recent times, we have read or heard of fatalities caused by someone not paying attention due to texting and driving.  Together we should combine our efforts to educate teens on the possible harmful effects of texting and driving.  Here are some reasons: Don’t Text & Drive

• You could easily pull over
• You might wreck
• Safety of other is at stake
• You’re breaking the law.
• Your reaction time is slower
• You run the risk of over-correcting
• It can wait

Transmitting a message isn’t worth receiving a citation, getting in a collision or putting the lives of others and your own at stake.  If you’re not convinced, check out the statistics on Don’t Text and Drive.  Please put down the smartphones and pay attention when you’re behind the wheel to make the roadway a safer place for drivers.

• Never give out personal information such as address, telephone number, parents work information or your school information.
• Tell your parents immediately if you come across something that makes you feel uncomfortable or that you do not understand.
• Never agree to get together with someone you meet online.
• Never send your picture or anything else to anyone online.
• Never respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make you feel uncomfortable. It is not your fault if you get a message like that just do not respond and get your parents.
• If you or anyone else is threatened, or harassed online notify your parents or the police.
• Remember that not everyone you talk to in chat rooms is who they say they are.
• Don't discuss personal issues, such as problems at home or school, with someone you don't know or that you met online.
• Never give out your internet password to anyone.
• Talk to your parents about setting up computer rules.

To anonymously report an incident of bullying, please call the PISD Bullying Report Hotline at:

903-853-9997

The repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. Bullying can be physical, verbal or psychological. It can happen face-to-face or online.

The District’s electronic visitor management system replaces manual paper-based logs, allows schools and facilities to produce customized visitor badges and electronically checks visitors against known sexual offender databases and any locally entered private alerts. The overall goal is to better control access to any Pittsburg ISD school/facility, thus providing enhanced protection for our students, staff and visitors.

The visitor registration system enhances school security by reading the government issued photo IDs of visitors, comparing visitor identity information to a sex offender database, reviewing the same identity for any alerts that the school or District may have applied to a person, notifying school safety personnel if a match is found, and then (assuming no match was made) printing a badge for the visitor to wear while on school grounds.

What is the purpose of the Visitor Management System?

It helps our schools keep unwanted visitors out while helping them track those that have been allowed in. By quickly alerting safety personnel to certain potential threats, it allows school administrators and law enforcement personnel to take appropriate steps to keep the school, students, staff, and volunteers safe. For valid visitors, the system also prints visitor badges that include a photo, the name of the visitor, and the visitor’s destination. Those badges enable personnel within the building to quickly determine if visitors are in areas where they should or should not be.

Why is the Pittsburg Independent School District using this system?

Safety of our students is our highest priority. It provides a consistent system to track visitors and volunteers while helping keep away people who present a danger to students and staff members.

Be safe and Be Seen

• Wear bright/light colored clothing and reflective materials.
• Carry a flashlight when walking at night.
• Cross the street in a well-lit area at night.
• Stand clear of buses, hedges, parked cars and other obstacles before crossing so drivers can see you.

Be Alert

• Walk on the sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk, walk towards oncoming traffic. 
• Make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street.
• Be alert to vehicle reverse lights and parked cars.

Be Careful at Crossings

• If possible, cross streets at marked crosswalks or intersections.
• Obey traffic signals, for example WALK/DON’T WALK signs.
• Look left, right and left again before crossing the street. 
• Watch for turning vehicles. Make sure the driver sees you and will stop for you. 
• Don’t wear headphones or talk on a cell phone while crossing the street.
• Visually clear all lanes you are crossing before you step onto the street.

Student safety is the top priority of the Pittsburg Independent School District, and ensuring a safe and secure learning environment requires joint efforts between students, parents, employees, as well as our public safety partners.

To keep students and parents informed, Pittsburg ISD is sharing the following information about Senate Bill 179 also known as  “David’s Law.”

Senate Bill 179, commonly known as “David’s Law”, makes it a Class A misdemeanor and allows a temporary injunction against social media accounts used to electronically harass or cyber-bully someone under age 18 through text message, social media, websites or other means with the intent of causing them to commit suicide or harm themselves.

Student safety both online and offline are District priorities. The consequences that result from the violation of “David’s Law” are serious and includes expanding the District’s scope of involvement when a case of cyber bullying is reported. Pittsburg ISD’s anti-discrimination policy is in the student code of conduct, and it explicitly prohibits cyber-bullying. We urge parents to continue to remind their child to be mindful of their online behavior and how it can affect themselves and others.

Authored by Texas Senators José Menéndez and Judith Zaffirini, the bill requires school districts to include cyber-bullying in their district bullying policies and notify parents if their child has been bullied and to notify the parents of the alleged aggressor within a reasonable amount of time.  Schools have the authority to investigate cyber-bullying and to work with law enforcement on such investigations.

If a student believes they are a victim of cyber-bullying they should report this to a teacher, administrator or other school personnel.

Students and parents can also go online to find the PISD Bullying Report Hotline. 

• Suicide Prevention – 800-273-8255 (800-273-TALK)
• Community Health Core – 800-832-1009
• Andrews center Behavioral Healthcare System – 877-934-2131
• Veterans Crisis Line – 800-273-8255 and Press 1
• Lates Regional Center – 877-466-0660
• Pittsburg Police Department – 903-856-3330