From City Streets to Hallways: Curt Fernandez’s Journey to Enhance Safety in Arlington’s Schools
The Arlington Independent School District (AISD) in Arlington, Texas, serves more than 56,000 students and employs more than 8,000 staff members.
Making those schools safer for students, teachers and other staff members is the number one priority of the district’s director of risk management, Curt Fernandez, who previously spent 21 years in various safety positions with the City of Minneapolis.
Now, he is in the process of instituting district-wide risk management programs to reduce accidents and injuries. The entire scope of what he is doing is too broad to list, but here are just a few key elements. In 2023, Fernandez and his team trained 168 district supervisors in accident prevention and accident investigation techniques with assistance from the Texas Association of School Boards.
They are also educating those that drive motor vehicles to help them cut down on distracted driving. This past school year, their efforts caused accidents involving district drivers to fall by 28%. A successful return-to-work program, staff ergonomic training and the development and creation of the district’s workplace accident and injury reduction standards are also part of Fernandez’s efforts.
“Because my background is city government, when I came [to AISD], I had a lot to learn. That is a huge learning goal for me.” — Curt Fernandez, director, risk management, Arlington Independent School District
Fernandez has only been with the district since 2022, so many of the programs he is implementing won’t bear statistical fruit for a while. He also acknowledges that he has a lot to learn about the district: “My biggest challenge was getting to know the school district and how it operates,” Fernandez said. “Because my background is city government, when I came here, I had a lot to learn. That is a huge learning goal for me.”
He’s also smart enough to know that he can’t walk this road alone. In addition to district staff and resources, Fernandez and his team are collaborating with the City of Arlington, the state’s Department of Labor, the Texas State Office of Risk Management, the Texas Association of School Boards and the Texas chapter of the Public Risk Management Association, among others.
Fernandez also counts himself lucky that administrators in the district are giving him plenty of independence and support. “It’s crucial to emphasize the importance of top-level support and commitment for our safety and risk management programs, especially within an educational institution like our school district,” Fernandez said.
“Without the full backing of the school board and district superintendent Matt Smith and his staff, it would be challenging to implement effective measures and drive necessary changes. We are fortunate to have an excellent superintendent, executive staff and school board to support us.”
He is building a proactive safety culture by working with all stakeholders. According to him, “this requires the support of frontline employees, who work hard every day and have firsthand knowledge of what works and what doesn’t.” He believes employees are the lifeblood of the organization, as they have great ideas and understand the causes and mechanics of accidents and incidents.
By collaborating with representatives from all departments, AISD has implemented systems and processes that actively involve employees. Through cooperation and trust-building, AISD departments are taking a proactive safety approach that prevents incidents before they occur.
For next year, Fernandez is planning to send a safety team on a monthly basis to walk through each of the district’s 76 schools and conduct safety and hazard assessments. It’s a big task, but Fernandez seems like the right man to lead it. &
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