Catholic School Security

Over the past several years we have seen increases in unprovoked violence against children in schools. In the past, private Catholic education provided significant protective factors that decreased the likelihood of these incidents occurring. While these protective factors still play a role in decreasing the chances of unprovoked school violence, they no longer afford immunity and even our Catholic school students are susceptible to common underlying factors such as isolation, depression and radicalization through technology.
These concerns are coupled with increased constraints in the law enforcement community through staffing shortages and low morale which has resulted in ever increasing response times to critical incidents.
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Based on the factors mentioned above, the Catholic Schools Department of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth has contracted with a security firm that provides off duty law enforcement officers at each of our 17 school campuses during the school day to provide security as well as build relationships with staff and students which is critical in preventing and responding to catastrophic emergencies. In addition, many of our school campuses need security upgrades in order to deal with the current threat environment.
The comprehensive plan includes upgrades such as:
- Fencing and window laminates
- Cameras and control doors
- 24/7 active surveillance on school campuses provides adequate monitoring and pre-active response to threats and issues.
- Armed off-duty police officers to maintain a visible presence on campus during regular school hours to deter outside offenses.
- The rapidly increasing needs for mental health support for our students requires specially trained crisis counselors.
This expense comes with a large price tag but is necessary to provide a safe learning environment for our students. The Diocese of Fort Worth and the Advancement Foundation have begun a very important school security initiative to help pay for these necessary expenses which amount to a $3.9 million initial investment and $2 million per year in following years to compensate the officers and counselors needed to protect and care for our most important asset, our kids. We need additional support. The lives of these children are priceless. Your donation to the Catholic School Security fund helps directly protect our students, faculty, and staff.
Please prayerfully consider a one-time or recurring contribution to this comprehensive plan with one of the giving levels suggested below:
- $70 hourly cost for one Security Resource Officer
- $500 cost of security officer per students
- $10,000 per classroom per year
- $100,000 per school per year
- $700,000 cost of crisis counselors
- $1,700,000 cost for security officers in all 17 schools
You can make an online donation or recurring gift below. If you’d like to give a gift of stock, real estate, qualified charitable distribution, mineral interest or another way, please contact Dianna Rhoads at 817-533-3174 or . All gifts to the Catholic School Security fund are tax-deductible.
Donate
Thank you for supporting the safety and security of Catholic Schools.
Contacts:
Renée Underwood, CFRE
Chief Development Officer of the Advancement Foundation
817-533-7242
Dianna Rhoads
Gift Processing Supervisor
817-533-3174
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