Welcoming more than 97,000 students back with 14,000 educators and staff at over 100 campuses and facilities, Katy ISD began the new school year on Wednesday, August 13, with the district’s two newest campuses — Boudny Elementary and Cross Elementary — opening their doors to students for the first time.

"The first day of school is always special, but welcoming students to two brand-new campuses this year marks an exciting milestone for our community," said Katy ISD Superintendent Ken Gregorski at the Boudny Elementary campus at 7402 Katy Hockley Cutoff Road in Katy. "As our district continues to grow, we remain focused on delivering safe, innovative and high-quality learning environments that prepare every student for success, in school and beyond."

Gregorski greeted and welcomed families to the first day of school with enthusiastic high fives, smiles and handshakes at Boudny Elementary, along with principal Felicia Ashabranner and school namesakes Alfred and Ann Boudny. “Let’s get this party started – welcome to Boudny Elementary,“ said Ashabranner as she opened the doors to parents and students.

Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones also made a special appearance to read to the school’s kindergarten students. Briones, a former classroom teacher, expressed enthusiastic support for public education and the value of high-quality learning.

"As the daughter of educators, a former teacher and a proud mom, I care deeply about giving every child the tools and opportunities to thrive,” said Briones. “Reading to the kindergartners at Boudny Elementary was especially meaningful. I am grateful for Katy ISD’s commitment to preparing students for the classroom and for life, and for the educators who inspire them every day. To every student, parent and educator, we are here to serve you and make this year a great one!”

In a press conference at the event, Gregorski said that the district is also enhancing security measures beyond state-mandated requirements, including specialized FlipLok door security devices installed in every classroom that allow teachers and students to quickly secure classrooms. Gregorski said that the district is also piloting a new program with the Raptor system at three schools – one elementary, one junior high and one high school. The system currently allows identification of visitors and staff as they badge in. The pilot program provides a wearable device that every employee in the building can wear and it can signal and ask for help from the front or office, or, with a special sequence, can alert first responders in the area. It is also tied to a GPS system, Gregorski said, so it knows exactly which

employee is calling for help and where they are in the building. “If everything goes well, by Christmas, we’ll roll it out to all 80 schools,” he said.

New perimeter fencing is also being installed at elementary campuses to further improve safety. The district employs a comprehensive, multilayered safety approach, with fully trained and armed security guards at every elementary school, and both armed police officers and security guards stationed at every junior high and high school — ensuring a highly visible and responsive presence across all campuses.

In response to a question from a UNIVISION reporter regarding new legislative mandates, Gregorski said that the district is closely watching the requirement to display the Ten Commandments in classroom, stating that there are two other states with similar requirements and that a Fifth Circuit court has ruled the measure unconstitutional. “We think that is probably heading to the Supreme Court,” Gregorski said. According to the law, the Ten Commandments posters must be donated, he said, and no school funds will be used to produce them. “I have yet to have anyone ask or to make a donation,” Gregorski said. “So, we haven’t addressed that yet. There will be some constitutional challenges, as there were in the Fifth Circuit.” Therefore, there are no Ten Commandments posters in Katy ISD at this time, he said.

Gregorski also previewed new programs on deck for this year including robust career and technical education offerings, such as a the new water operations licensing program, real estate program and innovative virtual learning programming expansion upcoming in Fall 2026.