Copperas Cove ISD expands Capturing Kids’ Hearts to all campuses

Copperas Cove ISD trustees voted Tuesday evening to bring Capturing Kids’ Hearts to every campus in the district, a move that will put the relationship-based program in place at all 11 schools starting in the 2026-27 school year.

The expansion extends a model that has already been used for three years at the district’s four junior high and high school campuses. District leaders said the goal is to build stronger campus culture earlier, before students reach the secondary level, and to produce the kinds of measurable shifts parents can see in attendance, discipline and day-to-day student relationships.

Superintendent Brent Hawkins said the district has already seen benefits where the program has been used, including fewer discipline incidents and better staff retention. Copperas Cove ISD also tracks the quality of relationships between students and staff through surveys tied to its Vision 2029 strategic plan, giving trustees a built-in way to judge whether the expansion changes the school climate in a lasting way.

The district has more recent evidence to point to as well. Copperas Cove Jr. High School and Crossroads High School were named Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase Schools in 2025. The company’s annual recognition is based on measurable improvement in attendance, academic performance, discipline referrals and school culture, and it says broad, systemwide implementation can also help with teacher retention and recruiting. CCISD said Copperas Cove Jr. High needed to replace only three teachers heading into the 2024-25 school year, fewer than in any previous year.

Trustees also approved a separate round of facility work that will affect daily operations across Copperas Cove. The board signed off on roof repair and replacement at S.C. Lee Junior High School and the Avenue D Office Complex, which houses Child Nutrition, the warehouse and other district departments. It also approved lighting retrofits at multiple sites, including Bulldawg Stadium, outdoor practice fields at Copperas Cove High School, the tennis courts, the baseball field and the softball field.

Those lights were damaged by hail and are not functioning properly, and the new LED fixtures are expected to improve safety while helping the district absorb a projected $1 million increase in electrical costs for 2026-27.

Trustees also approved replacement furniture for Williams/Ledger Elementary School, where storms last spring and summer caused widespread damage. The campus is on track to reopen for the new school year, making the furniture order part of the district’s larger push to stabilize classrooms while extending Capturing Kids’ Hearts to every grade level in Copperas Cove.