Aldine ISD to Implement New Multipurpose Badges for Students

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On May 16, the Aldine ISD board of trustees voted, unanimously, to approve the purchase of student ID badges that will be required to be visibly worn on campuses starting in the 2023-24 school year, in an effort to improve safety and security. 

“Providing a safe learning environment for our students and staff remains a priority for Aldine ISD,” said Superintendent of Schools, Dr. LaTonya Goffney. “Aldine ISD is a large, urban school district, and safety and security measures such as these badges are more important than ever to ensure we continue to be vigilant when it comes to safety practices.” 

Through the integration of the multi-purpose badges, the district will not only be able to keep students safe and accounted for through bus transportations to and from school, but it will also be able to utilize those same practices within the campuses. By requiring students to wear the badges in visible locations, staff can more easily identify possible intruders.

Along with this safety precaution, the badges are also able to keep staff informed during times of emergency. Through the use of the multi-purpose badges, and the ability to “check students in” when they go to the nurse’s or counselor’s office, staff would be able to quickly know where students are in the event of an emergency.

According to Aldine ISD Police Chief Paul Cordova, the Aldine PD, school administrators, and staff continue to enforce existing safety measures while exploring additional measures to ensure a safe learning environment. The Aldine ISD PD maintains several safety initiatives, including, but not limited to:  

• Aldine ISD Police Officers train annually for active shooters, bomb threats and any other active threat against campuses. The police department has a number of certified trainers in the department and officers also train regularly with other law enforcement agencies in our surrounding area.
• Police officers per campus – The Aldine ISD PD has 66 full time officers. The district’s secondary schools (middle schools and high schools) have one or more officers assigned to them. The department also has roving patrol units that cover the remainder of the schools. If there is a problem on a campus, patrol officers as well as other campus officers can respond in a timely manner.
• Perimeter security – All Aldine ISD Police officers are issued patrol vehicles and part of their daily duties is to patrol outside the campus. Secondary students and all visitors may only enter the campuses through designated entrances where there are metal detectors and a check in desk. 
• Securing classrooms and doors – Security audits were held in the fall of 2022 to ensure that all door locks were functioning properly and any deficiencies found were addressed immediately. Doors are not allowed to be propped open at non-designated entrances. Classroom doors are kept locked. We also have a team of safety and security specialists who perform audits on a regular basis.

“The most effective procedure we can all exercise is to be vigilant and report suspicious behaviors immediately to law enforcement,” said Chief Cordova. “These badges add an extra layer of protection to our campuses, and I am pleased that our board of trustees voted to have these on our campuses.”