FBI investigates at HISD administration building for more than 3 hours

The FBI spent more than three hours at the Houston Independent School District's administration building conducting an investigation Thursday morning.

Agents were at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center since just before 8 a.m.

Authorities walked out of the building with three large boxes and an Apple Mac computer monitor and loaded the items into a car.

When asked if this was a raid, the FBI only referred to it as a 'court-authorized law enforcement matter.'

It would not say if the investigation is focused on a certain part of the building or department or if there were any arrests.

However, the agency said it wanted to assure the public there was no danger to HISD students, staff or the greater Houston community.

The FBI said it has no further comment, but released this brief statement:

The FBI is conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity at the Hattie Mae White, HISD Administration Building. We want to assure the public there is no danger to the HISD students, staff or greater Houston community. We will provide any additional information once it becomes public. We have no further comment at this time.

In his role, Busby oversees an annual operating budget of more than $260 million and leads a workforce of more than 7,000 employees from seven major departments, including construction, transportation, nutrition, police, facilities, support and strategic engagement and outreach.

It wasn't yet known if the activity at Busby's home was related to the FBI's presence at HISD.

HISD released the following statement on the matter:

HISD can confirm that the FBI is in the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center this morning regarding a court-authorized law enforcement matter. The district is fully cooperating. There is no danger to students, staff or the community.

HISD has been under scrutiny for months after the Texas Education Agency took control of the state's largest school district in November 2019.

The TEA's investigative unit issued a 318-page report in October 2019, outlining allegations, including that HISD's Board of Trustees violated contract procurement rules and attempted to tamper with contracts, among other things.

It is unclear if the issues from the TEA's investigation are related to Thursday morning's FBI activity at the district's administration building.

"Government contracts are easily susceptible to fraud and therefore contract procurement rules should be followed accordingly," the TEA said in its October 2019 report. "However, HISD manipulated contract procurement rules through the abuse of Job Order Contracts and multiple change orders."

Following months of investigation, the TEA determined one of the ways the district abused the procurement process was by splitting job contract orders to make sure the contracts were valued under $500,000 and could then avoid getting prior school board approval.

HISD continues to monitor international coronavirus outbreak

The Centers for Disease Control has issued a warning to expect a wider spread of the coronavirus in the U.S., saying it remains unclear how severe the health threat could be – but that a sustained transmission of the virus is possible and has advised schools, businesses, and communities to plan for potential outbreaks.

The Houston Independent School District is in contact with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Texas Department of Health and Human Services and Houston Health Department, and will continue to monitor the situation to ensure plans are in place and protocols are followed to keep all students and staff members safe and updated with the latest information.

As part of HISD’s effort to ensure campuses and facilities are safe and healthy, the district has trained staff who routinely monitor individuals who exhibit fever, cough, and shortness of breath will follow appropriate assessment and monitoring protocols for students and staff who report feeling ill. Staff are also inquiring about recent personal travel, and new students wishing to enroll at any HISD school are being asked to complete a routine travel history questionnaire as a precaution.

While HISD and the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) continue to monitor the coronavirus closely, students and staff are encouraged to follow basic hand and cough hygiene measures to prevent colds, flu, and coronavirus.

The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to a virus. CDC recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including: 

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. 
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. 
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick. 
• Stay home when you are sick and remain home until fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication.  
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. 
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. 

HISD Police Department to host public forum as part of the national re-accreditation process

HISD PD is nation’s only accredited school district law enforcement agency

The Houston Independent School District Police Department and a team
of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement
Agencies (CALEA) will host a public forum as part of the department’s
re-accreditation process.

The HISD Police Department became the first school district law
enforcement agency in the nation to achieve CALEA accreditation in 2008.
This year, the department is seeking its eighth renewal.

The public forum will be held Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. at HISD
police headquarters located at 3500 Tampa Street. The session is an
opportunity for parents, students, community members, agency personnel,
and other interested individuals to voice comments about the
department’s compliance with applicable standards or other significant
issues. 

“The forum provides the community with an opportunity to offer input
on our operations,” HISD Chief of Police Paul Cordova said. “We welcome
the feedback. We are proud to be the country’s only CALEA-accredited
department, and we are excited to invite the accreditation committee and
the public to our event.”

Every four years, the voluntary re-accreditation process helps verify
that police departments continue to meet the commission’s 189 rigorous
standards. The CALEA assessment team — comprised of law enforcement
professionals from similar, out-of-state agencies — will be in Houston
Feb. 24 through 26 to examine all aspects of HISD police policy,
operations, and services. 

Once completed, the review will be submitted to the commission. If
granted, the department must submit annual reviews attesting to its
continued compliance with commission standards. A copy of these
standards is available for review at HISD Police headquarters. 

Individuals who cannot attend the public meeting may submit comments
by calling 713-842-3715 on Feb. 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. All comments are
limited to 10 minutes and must only address the department’s ability to
comply with CALEA standards. 

Written comments may be submitted via email by to hisdpd@houstonisd.org or
via mail to Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies,
13575 Heathcote Blvd., Ste. 320, Gainesville, Virginia, 20155 by Feb.
25.