The threat of a fire beginning in your child’s school is real: In fact, more than 130 fires have occurred in Harris County Schools alone, since 2000. And that’s not including schools in Houston.  

So how safe is your child’s school?

Spring High School, 2005: More than 3,000 kids are headed to class when a grease fire ignites in the kitchen.

Then, unbelievably, at the same time on the same day, a second fire begins at the same school but in a different area.

This time? Records from the fire marshal show it is arson; something the County says is becoming a problem in Harris County.

Fire Marshal Mike Montgomery: “We think it’s a growing problem in our schools right now.”

KHOU: “You’re seeing kids setting fires?”

Montgomery: “Absolutely.”

In fact, Spring High would see two more arsons a year later. But the day those began? Records show the fire alarm never sounded, and inspectors cited the school for an unmaintained alarm system — a fire code violation a spokesperson for Spring Independent Schools says is now fixed.

But later? More inspections in even more recent years found improper evacuation maps and improper exit signs to lead children to safety, a violation repeated four inspections in a row and still a problem today at Spring High.

But worst of all, everything regarding school safety in Harris County was all supposed to  be taken care of.

Why? Three years ago, the Defenders exposed how hundreds of thousands of local school children were going to schools that had never had a fire inspection. So everything is fine now, right? Well, think again.

In 2005, the Defenders found 57 schools in Cy-Fair, 30 in Aldine and hundreds more in other districts that had never seen a fire marshal.

11 News photo

And the County promised: “(Our) goal is to have at least one inspection, every school year,” Montgomery said.

Which they’ve done, adding 12 new inspectors and promising to put all school violations online for you to see. And today the fire marshal says most violations have been corrected, but not all is good.

“There are basically five schools we’re going to be focusing our efforts on for the rest of this year and into the fall,” Montgomery said. “The nature of the corrections that haven’t been made suggest we probably need to step in there and visit with school officials.”

The schools Montgomery noted:  Hargrave High School in Huffman, Galena Park’s Sam Houston Elementary, and in over in Goose Creek: Hopper Elementary, Gentry Middle and Crockett Elementary, where Crockett also got cited for problems with its fire alarm, exit signs and improper fire prevention barriers.

But KHOU-TV found something even more troubling: Take the Channelview School District, where back in 2005 we found this:

KHOU: “Are you aware that your school does not have a fire alarm on the annex?”

Principal: (walking away) “Thank you, thank you.”

KHOU: “Ma’am are you aware that your school does not have a working fire alarm?”

And nationally certified school safety expert Ernie Scott warned: “If you don’t have a fire alarm, it’s an immediate life safety hazard. Period the end.”

So how is Channelview doing now, three years later?

Stephanie Schrader: “We are aware that fire alarm system is out of date. There has been a completely functional system at that campus.”

KHOU: “But it’s not up to code?”

Schrader: “it’s not up to code. You’re correct about that.”

And how about over in the annex where 270 kids attend an alternative school- and right next to where pre-school aged kids play?

Schrader: “There is not currently a working fire alarm.”

KHOU: “What’s taking so long?”

Schrader: “It does take a process to get these things corrected.”

“Three years?” parent Wendy Meeks asked. “I just can’t believe they’d do that,”

Meeks used to let her kids go to public schools, until the Defenders’ investigation in 2005. But she’s still upset now.

“What cost do you put on a child’s life?” she asked.

And even worse to this parent, it turns out the fire marshal actually gave Channelview ISD an award for “best practices” in safety, which the district now brags about in a brochure.

“It’s disgusting,” Meeks said.

Channelview: “It’s an accomplishment not many districts have received.”

KHOU: “Is it really a prestigious honor to leave children in a school for more than three years without a fire alarm?”

Channelview: “We’re working to install a new fire alarm.”

In the meantime, the district is relying on teachers to call in a fire if they visually witness it.

“Think of it as a manual alarm that involves people,” Fire Marshal Montgomery said.

But he admits, “It’s not an ideal situation.”

So why give them an award for safety? 

Montgomery: “They do have an alarm system.”

KHOU: “Not a system.”

Montgomery: “They do have an alarm system.”

KHOU: “They have a person with a phone calling.”

Montgomery: “That is a system.”

But Montgomery insisted his inspectors are on the job.

“This year alone, we uncovered over 2,100 fire code deficiencies or fire hazards,” he said.

Goose Creek ISD tells KHOU-TV they have now corrected most of the violations noted on their most recent inspection reports, and will finish their work over the summer.

A spokesperson for Spring ISD refused to go on camera for this story, but said in a statement that all violations at Spring High have been corrected- except for those exit signs. Spring ISD plans to fix those sometime soon after school lets out for the summer.

As for the Fire Marshal’s Office?

One year after our 2005 investigation aired, the office produced what it called an “annual” report in 2006 that updated citizens on the progress of their new school inspection program.

The problem?

When we checked recently, the Fire Marshal’s Office never put out a 2007 update, and had not prepared one for 2008 either. After our calls, the office released an interim report for 2008.

Also as a result of the KHOU-TV Defenders’ last investigation, the county created a Web site that allowed you to pull up the most recent inspection and violations for every school in Harris County from the convenience of your own computer

But the Defenders found out those violations went offline soon afterward and remained offline for about two years.

So what happened during that time? The Fire Marshal created a Web link for parents to file formal public information requests for information about schools. It would mean parents would have to identify themselves with each request.