The Learning Lab School Safety Podcast

#22: How Uvalde Students Are Contributing to School Safety

In 2025 the Youth of Uvalde student group received a School Safety Spotlight Award from the Texas School Safety Center for the development of a lockdown bucket, which they call Coyote Kits. In this Learning Lab episode, Kathleen Bates, Youth Initiatives Coordinator, sits down with members of the Youth of Uvalde (Y.O.U.) student group to discuss the lockdown bucket that was developed by Uvalde High School students after the tragedy at Robb Elementary. They discussed how their project raised awareness about school safety, their thoughts on what school safety means to them, and how they took an active role in their own safety by developing the Coyote Kits.

#21: Prepared to Save: A Teen CERT Hero in Action

In this Learning Lab episode, Kathleen Bates, Youth Initiatives Coordinator, sits down with Makaylla Talavera, a graduate from Pasadena Memorial High School’s class of 2025. On the evening of Saturday, February 1, 2025, gunshots erupted during a band competition, chaos and fear began to spread and while students, staff, and families fled for safety, the shooter was quickly disarmed. While the four men who detained the shooter were honored for their heroism, another hero went unknown and unrecognized. That hero is Makaylla Talavera. This interview recounts those chaotic moments as gunshots erupted and how Makaylla applied her Teen Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training to evacuate the gunshot victim and save his life. Makaylla also shares her thoughts on how schools can help teens be prepared for any emergency. If you are interested in learning more about engaging students in grades 1-12 in emergency preparedness or how you can host a Youth Emergency Preparedness Training, visit Ready.gov/kids for curriculum lesson plans, games, social media toolkits, how to start a youth preparedness program, information about Teen CERT, and more.

#20: How Fusion Centers Can Assist School Districts

In this Learning Lab episode, host Dr. Celina Bley speaks with staff from two Texas fusion centers to discuss their role in Texas and how they can assist school districts, specifically with school behavioral threat assessments. They discuss how centers collaborate with law enforcement and the importance of having current contact information for the growing number of school district police departments in Texas. They also discuss the Texas Suspicious Activity Reporting Network (iWatchTexas) and the specific reporting process for school safety related reports.

#19: Why and How One District Implemented a Guardian Program

In this Learning Lab episode, host Dr. Celina Bley speaks with staff from Mineola ISD, a district that has developed a Guardian Program alongside their own ISD police department. Staff discuss why they developed the program in addition to their law enforcement presence as well as how they intentionally train their guardians beyond the minimum requirements. Their school safety philosophy is elaborated to detail how their vision is implemented to expand their school safety posture.

#18: An Inside Look at Starting Your Own ISD Police Department Pt. 2

In this three-part Learning Lab episode, host Brian Clason and co-host Joe Munoz, explore what it takes for a school district to start their own ISD police department. In part two, Brian and Joe sit down with Eanes ISD Superintendent, Dr. Jeff Arnett and Eanes ISD Police Chief, Matt Greer to discuss their journey from school board approval to a fully functional ISD police force.