Complete These District Audit Report To-Do’s Before Summer Break

Texas school districts are required to complete a state-mandated safety and security audit at least once every three years. In the current audit cycle (Sept. 1, 2023–Aug. 31, 2026), districts must complete their audit by Aug. 31, 2026 and submit their report to the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) no later than Sept. 15, 2026.

We know your time is valuable and in short supply, so, we’re rolling out a blog post series to support you:

• If this isn’t your first audit, consider this series a friendly reminder about milestones that will help you stay on track.
  If you’re new to the audit process, we’ll give you the foundation you need to comply with your responsibilities.

What is the District Audit Report?

The audit report is a self-assessment of your district’s progress toward providing safe, secure working and learning environments. The TxSSC coordinates the audit process and produces an aggregate statewide report.

Do This Before Summer Break

You should conduct climate surveys and intruder assessments before summer break, when stakeholders are accessible and campuses are operating under normal conditions.

Climate Surveys

Climate surveys and interviews help uncover strengths and weaknesses in your safety and security program while capturing stakeholder expectations. Include students, teachers, staff, and parents in your surveys. The TxSSC provides sample climate surveys for each stakeholder group. Ensure your questions reflect your district’s specific needs.

Intruder Assessments

An intruder assessment evaluates campus access control by testing whether an unauthorized person can enter a facility. Door sweeps and intruder assessments are related but separate processes that require proper documentation.

For findings identified through Texas Education Agency intruder detection audits or related access control reviews, districts must complete required corrective actions and documentation within 60 calendar days, including staff retraining, a corrective action plan, and administrative review.

Best practices include:

• Notify law enforcement and a district administrator in advance.

• Keep assessment team identities confidential.

• Conduct assessments professionally and non-confrontationally.

• Use TxSSC documentation forms.

• Empower staff to question individuals who do not have visitor badges.

Remaining Components

We’ll share details about the remaining audit components in future blog posts. For now, here’s a bird’s-eye view. We recommend you tackle these components in this order.

Facility Assessments

Use the TxSSC checklist to evaluate campuses and facilities. Summer is ideal to minimize instructional disruption.

Emergency Operations Plan Updates

Address gaps identified in facility assessments through updates to your Emergency Operations Plan.

Report to the TxSSC

In the final year of each audit cycle, the TxSSC emails a reporting link to superintendents in April. Complete audit work by Aug. 31 and submit by Sept. 15. Confirm TxSSC has current superintendent contact information.

Report to Your Board

Prepare a district-level summary of audit results to present to your Board of Trustees before Aug. 31.

Additional Reminder: TEA Sentinel Reporting

Ensure your district has access and procedures in place for TEA’s Sentinel system, the agency’s platform for school safety and security reporting.

Quick Checklist Before Summer Break

• Conduct stakeholder climate surveys
• Complete intruder assessments on all campuses
• Review weekly exterior door sweep documentation
• Begin facility safety assessments
• Identify EOP updates based on findings
• Confirm superintendent contact info with TxSSC
• Schedule board briefing on audit progress
• Verify TEA Sentinel access and reporting procedures

What’s Next?

In our next district audit report blog post, we’ll dig into the facility assessment component. In the meantime, explore the TxSSC district audit report toolkit. Fund members who need additional audit support can contact Andy Michael, School Safety and Security Consultant, at andy.michael@tasb.org.

Editor's note: This article was originally published in March 2023. It has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.