In today’s world, those entrusted with educating our most precious resource, our children, must make school safety a top priority. Over the past several years, Sudan Independent School District has made a significant investment in creating one of the safest learning environments in the region while preserving the warm, welcoming atmosphere that defines a successful school.
SISD has successfully coupled the quiet enrichment of quality classrooms with the boisterous, ambitious competition of a successful school; and, all of this in a safe and nurturing environment. The district’s goals for safety and security have come to fruition.
At the forefront of this program is the hiring of a school police chief. In the wake of the Uvalde school shootings, when the state mandated new safety requirements, rather than meeting the minimum requirements of the new laws, SISD embraced the opportunity to implement a safer school environment. In fact, many of these safety changes began at SISD before the implementation of these new laws.
In the spring of 2024, SISD hired Peace Officer ( PO), Chris Weston, a graduate of the SPAG Police Academy. Chris is married with two small children. His family lives in Sudan and his children attend SISD. With over 20 years of law enforcement experience, Chief Weston has been active in Lamb County law enforcement for many years. Chris began his career with the Earth Police Department. He then worked for the Lamb County Sheriff’s Office for just shy of 20 years. He holds the highest level PO certificate, a Master Certification, which requires 20 years of service and a minimum of 2,400 hours of professional development. Chief Weston started his career with the Sheriff’s Office as a deputy. He was a Canine Officer for five years. He then spent 10+ years in Investigations, leaving the department as the Senior Investigator. Chris has worked cases with the FBI Task Force in Internet Crimes Against Children. He has also gone through Public Information Officer training.
Chief Weston said, “It has been honestly refreshing to come into a school where there has been attention paid to security cameras.” The district currently operates 72 high-definition security cameras with longterm digital storage capabilities. Artificial intelligence allows administrators to quickly search video footage by specific characteristics, dramatically reducing investigation times. Chief Weston monitors the camera system daily using a three-screen workstation capable of displaying every campus camera simultaneously.
As SISD has been working on many of these implementations since before the new laws, Sudan installed ballistic-resistant film on all exterior windows of the instructional campus several years before the new mandates. At about the same time, the district installed an electronic door locking system on exterior and interior doors. This system is tied into and monitored by a door locking software system. This door software system was updated to new software in the last year. SISD is in complete compliance with H.B. 33. Chief Weston is the only dedicated school Police Chief in the area. Additionally, he has a school provided police vehicle with a police radio.
As the new legislation requires door audits to be conducted by the state vulnerability assessment office, Sudan volunteered for a couple of soft audits in preparation for the formal audits this next school year. SISD passed both soft audits this year when the state official came to campus. Chief Weston conducts daily exterior door audits.
Additionally, Chief Weston has created a welcoming environment to all local law enforcement. He has personally given tours of the school and its security strategies to all local law enforcement. Chris has developed an atmosphere of appreciation and respect between law enforcement, staff, and students. It is not uncommon to see State Troopers, Game Wardens, Sheriff ’s Deputies, and Sudan Police walking the halls and conversing in a cordial manner with the students. Students have learned to appreciate law enforcement. Chief Weston said, “In the last 2.5 years, I have learned that having law enforcement in schools forms trust and bonds with students that would have never positively bonded with law enforcement in any other setting. Change starts in school. Changing kids for the better now is real change that provides students a better future. They learn to trust law enforcement. I feel like the students trust me and don’t just see me as an authoritarian figure.”
On staff also is Mr. DJ Provence, SISD Network Administrator and Drone Instructor. DJ is a member of the Sudan EMS/ Fire Department. With DJ on staff as an EMT working hand-in-hand with nurse Stacy Seymour, the average time for response to student emergencies is normally less than one minute. DJ and nurse Stacy also have close relationships with the students.
Every employee is outfitted with a Centegix CrisisAlert badge. These buttons have two levels of response. The lower level is used for health emergencies and the like. Activation sends administrators, nurse, police chief, EMT (DJ), campus secretaries and other local staff to the alert location. Sensors are accurate to within feet of the activated button. The higher level activation is for an active threat and activates area law enforcement, fire, and EMS. Sudan has never activated the higher level; however, the lower level activation has been used successfully many times, mostly for health related responses.
Additionally, the district has recently purchased vape sensors which do much more than just patrolling the air in bathrooms. They can send alerts to administrators based on vocabulary heard and/or an elevated number of people in the room.
Although technology and specialized personnel play an important role, Sudan ISD believes its greatest asset remains its teachers. Their daily relationships with students, combined with a strong culture of care and accountability, continue to create a positive learning environment that results in very few disciplinary referrals. The Sudan instructional staff remains one of the finest on the South Plains. Rich tradition continues to elevate the instructional environment at Sudan Schools.
Perhaps one of the strongest indicators of community confidence is that approximately 30 percent of Sudan ISD’s student enrollment comes from transfer students. Families continue to choose Sudan ISD because they value the district’s commitment to academic excellence, student relationships, and campus safety.
At Sudan ISD, safety is more than a compliance requirement, it is a commitment. By combining outstanding educators, dedicated law enforcement, advanced technology, and strong community partnerships, the district has created an environment where students can learn, grow, and thrive with confidence.