Burleson ISD Announces Hiring of School Safety Officer

August 31, 2022

The Burleson Independent School District (BISD) Board of Trustees approved the hiring of 30-year Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD) veteran Curt Brannan as its first School Safety Officer (SSO) in the first-of-its-kind program, placing safety and emergency operations employees authorized to carry weapons at all elementary campuses in the district. Brannan is a former homicide detective who worked on several high-profile cases in Fort Worth, including the shootings at the Tarrant County Courthouse, the Glass Key, and the Wedgwood Baptist Church. He taught defensive tactics while serving the U.S. Army and FWPD, is certified by the FBI as a defensive tactics instructor, and received training by the U.S. Secret Service in dignitary and executive protection. A 9th-degree black belt, Brannan also served as the personal bodyguard for dignitaries and high-profile celebrities.

As the first SSO, Brannan will assist the district in the recruitment and hiring of at least nine additional SSOs to serve as professionals authorized to carry weapons who are responsible for providing and maintaining a safe and secure environment for students, staff, and visitors at all elementary campuses. 

“Hiring experienced law enforcement professionals is crucial to the overall success of our school security plan, and we are confident that Mr. Brannan is the expert we need to guide us as we move forward with our program,” said BISD Superintendent Dr. Bret Jimerson. “Mr. Brannan has a distinguished career in law enforcement and security, and he comes highly recommended by Burleson Chief of Police Billy Cordell and former Johnson County Sheriff Bob Alford. We know our relationship with BPD is about to grow even stronger with Mr. Brannan joining our BISD team.”

To ensure district safety, BISD partners with the BPD and other local, county, and state organizations while following Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) standards. The district consulted with multiple entities to identify a safety program with flexibility to meet the safety needs of the district while allowing for the largest pool of highly-qualified candidates to apply for this position. Brannan will assist the district in hiring the best, most-qualified officers for each campus.

“I had the honor of working with Curt Brannan at the FWPD, and if ever there was a candidate I would recommend hiring, it’s Curt,” said Burleson Chief of Police Billy Cordell. “Curt is a man of integrity and character with a passion to serve. BISD made an excellent selection in hiring Curt for this position.”

A Burleson resident for more than 35 years with children and grandchildren who attended and graduated from BISD, Brannan looks forward to serving the residents of Burleson in his new role. 

“The mission is simple: protect our teachers and students at the elementary schools we are assigned,” said Brannan. “There are a lot of highly-qualified applicants with many years of training and law enforcement experience who are applying to be a part of this team. We’ll be searching through these top officers to select those who will work very closely with BPD and the SROs to add another layer of protection to our schools.” 

The district continuously evaluates district and campus safety and security measures. This year, in addition to the SSO positions, BISD will add three School Resource Officers (SROs) to increase the district SRO total to 11, additional security measures for campus events, and fidelity to security protocols in daily operations with uncompromising accountability.

“Our board of trustees approved the program at the August board meeting and our recruitment efforts began immediately, resulting in a multitude of quality applicants with years of service as peace officers,” said Steve Logan, BISD Chief Operating Officer. “We believe Mr. Brannan’s 30 years with the Fort Worth Police Department, military background, and experience in private security will prove beneficial to our program.” 

In addition to increased safety personnel and heightened safety protocols, BISD has a new Director of Safety and Security who will ensure the implementation of enhanced security protocols, safety audits, and staff training. A new Director of Behavioral Threat Assessment and Intervention will also work directly with counselors and campus threat assessment teams to identify ‘red flags’ and intervene expeditiously. 

The TxSSC identified BISD as being one of 67 districts among the 1,022 districts statewide to have an emergency operations plan (EOP) that was deemed sufficient—meaning it met the best practices necessary to be a viable EOP—and one of 200 districts with a viable active shooter program.

For more information, visit the BISD Safety and Security website.