We are excited to announce that Brazosport ISD’s nominee for the TEA 2022 Heroes for Children was again chosen for this prestigious award. Barbara Brooks Franklin was honored this month by the State Board of Education as the District 7 Hero for Children, and her selection highlights what we know is true, BISD has amazing volunteers!
In 1988, Barbara Brooks Franklin along with co-founder Lucy Pendon put into motion a child-focused safety program that has withstood the test of time, is woven into the very fabric of the Brazosport community, and is leaving a lasting legacy continuing now in its 34th year.
Brazosport Safetytown, a miniature town situated on a Brazosport ISD campus gym floor, comes complete with streets, sidewalks, stoplights, buildings, other traffic devices and plastic, tiny riding trikes, allowing children to practice basic safety lessons and “prevent needless child accidents.”
Safetytown brings incoming first graders into a BISD campus for nine days of comprehensive safety education classes. The course covers diverse topics including fire safety, pedestrian and car safety, stranger danger, home emergencies, poison control, dangers of unfriendly dogs, beach safety, gun safety and gang hazards. Programs of this magnitude don’t reach this level of lasting success without a dedicated leader driving the curriculum and logistics. Our nominee, Barbara Franklin is the one responsible for keeping the educational aspect of this remarkable program both fun, exciting and relevant.
As founder and coordinator for this yearly event, Barbara oversees the approximately 50-60 volunteers and an average of 200 young students that come to a BISD campus to learn about safety for themselves and others. When you calculate the numbers over the years, the safety impact on students is in the thousands.
The State Board of Education (SBOE) established the Heroes for Children award program in 1994. Since its beginning, the award has provided a means to recognize Texas residents who render selfless acts of service by offering their time, effort and support to public schools and students. The award honors volunteers who have made outstanding contributions to student learning or who have demonstrated sustained periods of involvement and support of public education. Each year, the 15-member Board recognizes one Hero from each of their districts.
Superintendent Danny Massey said of Safetytown and Barbara’s impact, “There is nothing more important than the safety of our children. Through the efforts of Barbara Franklin with Safetytown, this has become a community effort for generations of children.”
We in Brazosport ISD are proud of Barbara Brooks Franklin for making an impact on a safer world for generations.
L to R - Supt. Massey, SBOE Rep Matt Robinson, Recipient Barbara Franklin, Brooke Franklin Johnson, Micah Johnson
