Dubose Elementary plans safety drill to prepare young students

Dubose Elementary is using a safety drill to help its pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students practice what to do if an emergency reaches the campus at 1000 N Cameron St in Alice.

That matters because the youngest students need more than a reminder. They need repetition, calm adult direction and a routine they can recognize quickly. Texas School Safety Center guidance says drills are designed to reduce confusion and panic, and the state’s Standard Response Protocol is meant to give schools a uniform, practiced response when something goes wrong.

Texas Education Code Section 37.114 requires school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to follow rules for mandatory emergency drills, with the total capped at eight drills per school year. For Dubose Elementary, the drill is part of that broader safety framework, but it also carries a very local purpose: helping children from pre-K through fifth grade learn how to respond without fear.

That preparedness has taken on added importance in Alice ISD, where safety has been treated as a top priority. The district lists Kim Kubala as its Safety and Security Supervisor and says it uses a Safety Alert Management System. In 2025, KRIS-TV reported that district officials praised that system after a serious threat investigation because it helped administrators and law enforcement coordinate quickly.

The district’s safety focus also fits a longer pattern. In 2022, KIII reported that Alice schools were working with law enforcement to add another layer of security, and Alice Police Chief Eden Garcia said it was important to have an officer at every school. For parents, that history puts the Dubose drill in context: it is one more step in a district that has spent years trying to make school response faster, clearer and more coordinated.

The campus itself is built around young children and the adults who support them. Dubose Elementary’s staff page lists Principal Jasimine Dominguez, Nurse Emilee Cox, School Nurse Marci Guerra and Parent Liaison Jessica Charles, a reminder that drills are not just student exercises. They rely on teachers, nurses and support staff to move children through a procedure in a way that feels orderly and reassuring.

Texas safety guidance also says schools must make accommodations for students with Individualized Education Programs or 504 Plans so they can participate safely and fully. At a campus serving pre-K through fifth grade, that detail is as important as the drill itself. It shows that safety at Dubose is being treated as a daily responsibility, not a one-time announcement.