Case Study Highlights Texas District’s Campus Security Upgrades

The Taft Independent School District near Corpus Christi, Texas, recently partnered with Intech Southwest Services to revamp its campus security technology system, according to a news release. Intech has released a case study on its website detailing the process that advanced the district’s technology by more than 20 years in less than three weeks.

The State of Texas recently launched an initiative to fund the purchase of new security components like gates, automatic door locks, fences, camera systems, access control, and more, the news release reports. The Intech leadership team took a consultative role in helping the small district make decisions with limited funds and staffing.

“Over the past 23 years, Intech has had the privilege of serving K-12 districts of all sizes and complexities,” said Intech Southwest Services Owner Kevin Reyher. “We want to emphasize to even the smallest Texas districts that, no matter the time of year, they have the ability to implement elaborate new technologies on relatively short notice, especially when something as critical as campus security is involved.”

TISD previously used a small system of older, mismatched, low-res cameras tethered to a local server, leading to constant problems with upgrading and syncing devices. There was also no connection to local law enforcement and limited storage capacity to archive video recordings.

Intech installed 90 Verkada camera units across all three TISD campuses in three weeks, working outside school hours to minimize disruptions. In addition to streamlining the district’s technologies into a single cloud-based system, the Verkada solution also allows local law enforcement access and views of each camera, according to the news release.

“In today’s environment, campus security is of the utmost importance, and it’s a must to have high-tech security in place within K-12 campuses,” said TISD Computer Technician Edgar Mendoza. “Cameras, and the complexity of their networking and integration, are critical campus safety components that cannot be overstated today. The moment was right for this upgrade, and we didn’t want to waste any time.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Education Design Showcase Awards

    Spaces4Learning has opened submissions for the 2026 Education Design Showcase! The awards program launched in 1999 with the goal of celebrating innovative, practical solutions in the planning, design, and construction of K–12 and higher-education facilities. EDS recognizes new developments that help achieve optimal learning environments, as well as the architecture firms that brought the ideas to life.

  • Moline-Coal Valley School District to Consolidate Two Schools into New Facility

    The Moline-Coal Valley School District in Moline, Ill., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff from two existing schools, according to local news. Robert Ontiveros Elementary School will serve as the new home for Lincoln-Irving Elementary School and Willard Elementary School.