Kilgore ISD to use TEA grant for campus security upgrades

KILGORE, Texas (KLTV) - Kilgore ISD recently received a $247,000 grant from the Texas Education Agency to be used for school security. And they’ve elected to use the money to make all their school windows shatter resistant.

Kilgore ISD Director of Safety and Emergency Management Charles Presley said the district decided windows in all of their schools needed impact resistant film.

“It’s designed to put a thick layer of film over your glass whether it be a door, a window, a side light area. That right there prevents it from shattering from a moderate impact,” Presley said.

Presley points out the film is not bullet-proof but adds a layer of safety.

“It should still kind of hold that glass together and prevent it from shattering immediately,” Presley said.

East Texas Glass Company Northeast Texas District Manager Bert Kinkaid said the film keeps the glass in the pane after impacts from inside or out.

“The glass actually will hold together while someone tries to beat it out and that would give authorities time to get there; buy more time actually,” Kinkaid said.

Kinkaid said they’ve installed the product at a few East Texas Schools.

“We have done a lot of it at Pine Tree ISD over in Longview,” Kinkaid said.

Kincaid said it installs like other glass film.

“You have to clean the glass really well because it goes on the inside. And then it’s just applied with kind of a squeegee. They seal the edges where it doesn’t peel off,” Kinkaid said.

He said sealing the edges helps strengthen the bond. It sets in about a day. Windows are pretty common in most schools since:

“We want them to be open and inviting and welcoming, allowing in a lot of light. But with that we also have more areas to think about when it comes to securing the perimeters of our buildings,” Presley said.

They feel slowing a potential intruder’s entrance by several minutes can buy time that could save lives.

The district now has three bids from glass companies and will soon decide who installs it. The film will be installed over the summer.

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