Texas Border Business
PHARR – In an effort to prepare for emergency situations and continue to ensure student and staff safety, over 100 Security Officers and campus Principals in Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD (PSJA ISD) participated in a series of hands-on trainings as part of their Staff Development throughout the month of October.
According to PSJA ISD’s Police Chief Rolando Garcia, the security guards participated in three hands-on breakout sessions. The sessions included an active shooter simulation training by the San Juan Law Enforcement Emergency Rapid Response Team; a force-on-force training where guards got to train with Glock 9 mm handguns with paintball rounds; and a wrap-restraint training in the event of uncontrollable high-risk subjects.
“We want to make sure our guards are prepared to react if emergency situations like these ever happen by exposing them to realistic scenarios,” said PSJA ISD Police Chief Garcia. “This is the first time that they are experiencing these simulated scenarios. Doing this in a controlled environment helps them see how they need to react in case of events like these.”
In addition to training the PSJA ISD Security Department, all Principals and Assistant Principals participated in a similar active shooter simulation training to help prepare them to handle any type of emergency scenarios.
“We want to make sure we have the best possible emergency response team, equipment, and resources to ensure the safety of our students and staff at all campuses,” said Chief Garcia. “Our goal is to make sure everyone knows the role they play and are prepared to react adequately in an emergency situation.”
Campus safety for students and staff is a top priority for the district. One of Superintendent Dr. Jorge L. Arredondo’s priorities is to support these efforts.
“Our goal is to make sure our students and staff have the best resources available for learning and can do so in a safe and secure environment,” said Dr. Arredondo. “Thank you to Chief Garcia and our PSJA Security Department for helping us ensure the safety of our PSJA Family.”
 participated in a series of hands-on trainings as part of their Staff Development throughout the month of October.){kind=link}