Table of contents
School safety is the highest priority for district administrators, faculty, and facilities staff alike.
To aid in safer schools, the Texas Education Agency instituted a requirement for districts across the state.
According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), Local Education Agencies (LEAs) are mandated to perform frequent and regular exterior door sweeps. These must start as students return to campus.
These sweeps require staff to inspect all exterior doors to ensure they’re properly closed, locked, and latched. This additional safety measure prevents unauthorized access and enhances campus safety.
The state provides spreadsheets to help districts track their compliance efforts. While a great start, facilities management software helps leading districts take their door sweep tracking, maintenance processes, and campus safety to the next level.
K-12 PM Assessment
Get personalized and actionable advice on how to improve your preventive maintenance practices.
How facilities management software improves K-12 district safety
The driving imperative behind door sweep mandates is school safety enhancements. By incorporating facilities management software, districts can better track door sweeps while leveraging other features to improve campus safety.
Streamlining door sweep tracking and compliance
Facilities management software allows districts to digitize door sweep records, eliminating the need for manual spreadsheets. With automated tracking, staff can log inspections in real time, ensuring compliance with TEA requirements.
Customizable dashboards provide instant visibility into completed and pending sweeps, making it easier to identify and address security gaps.
Enhancing accountability and reporting
By implementing FM software, districts can assign door sweep tasks to employees or contractors. Following assignments, leaders can monitor completion rates and labor hours. Leading software also generates automated reminders and notifications to ensure sweeps occur on schedule.
Additionally, the software generates comprehensive reports that help administrators and facilities leaders comply with state standards. Reports provide compliance proof during audits and safety assessments.
Strengthening maintenance and security protocols
Beyond door sweeps, facilities management software helps districts identify and resolve maintenance issues. Many of these could impact school security if deferred.
If an exterior door fails to latch properly, staff can submit a maintenance request immediately through the platform. Maintenance teams can then prioritize and resolve safety-related repairs first.
Increasing visibility to improve emergency preparedness
Facilities management platforms should increase visibility from maintenance processes to the physical campus. Best in class software creates interactive maps that leaders can leverage to monitor critical safety equipment. Additionally, they can use these maps to create emergency response plans, allowing districts to document safety procedures, track security drills, and manage access control systems.
Improving overall campus security
By consolidating facility maintenance, door sweeps, and safety protocols into a single system, districts gain a more holistic campus security view. Leaders can spot trends and recurring issues to create remediation plans.
Building a safer future for K-12 schools with FMX
While TEA’s door sweep requirements are a critical step toward enhanced school safety, leveraging facilities management software creates more efficient, accountable, and comprehensive security.
Districts using these tools can stay ahead of compliance requirements, minimize safety risks, and create a safer learning environment for students and staff.
FMX is built specifically for Texas K-12 districts. We make it our mission to enrich the student experience by keeping schools secure and well-maintained.
Learn how FMX can help your Texas school system. Schedule a demo today.
Written by
Zach Jones
Content Manager at FMX