Alamo Heights ISD presented its required annual report on violent and criminal incidents for the 2023–24 school year at the Oct. 16 board meeting, outlining what the state requires for reporting, the district’s prevention and intervention efforts and recent changes in state incident coding for vaping and THC-related events.

Dr. Mike Alvaro asked trustees to note the statutory reporting requirement and how the district compiles the data submitted to the Texas Education Agency via the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS). "The Texas statute requires that every district publish a report on violent and criminal incidents in their schools as defined by data that we report to the state each year through the public education information system or EANS," he said, summarizing the statutory framework and the tables provided in the board book.

Alvar(o) highlighted prevention programs and services: character education partnerships (character.org), elementary classroom meetings (community circles/morning meetings), a PALS peer-mentoring program pairing high-school mentors with elementary students, an extracurricular code that holds students in extracurricular activities to a higher standard, a foundation-funded district wellness coordinator, wellness counselors at junior and senior high campuses, student intervention teams and on-campus substance-use counseling through a partnership with a recovery provider.

On data, Alvar(o) explained that the state recently added separate reporting codes for THC/marijuana and e-cigarettes (vapes), and that several years ago vape incidents had been recorded under broader categories because PEIMS codes had not kept pace with products on the market. He said the 2022–23 school year showed higher counts in columns that previously absorbed vape incidents and that 2023–24 is the first year the new codes were used. A trustee asked whether incidents are double-coded if they meet multiple categories; staff replied "It's coded once."

Alvar(o) and trustees discussed trends: previous high counts in the junior/high school columns reflected vaping, not necessarily possession of conventional marijuana, and newer products prompted legislative and awareness efforts. The district also noted local initiatives to provide students who need substance-use counseling with on-campus weekly meetings rather than requiring travel outside the school day.

No formal board action was recorded during the report; trustees asked clarifying questions and thanked staff for the summary.