school safety

A Texas start-up says for districts still unable to put the legally mandated armed guard in every school, its drones could be an option.

Senate Bill 1262 would allow the Texas Education Agency to commission peace officers to help districts with security planning and aid in an emergency, when needed. It also requires districts still seeking a required armed officer to ask for a waiver annually.

House Bill 3 mandated armed security in each of the state’s more than 8,000 schools, but many districts say it didn’t come with enough funding.

Carroll ISD trustees discussed a marshal program Monday as the district struggles to meet the state's requirement of equipping school campuses with an armed officer.

Starting this school year, the district will require all students from pre-K through 12th grade to use clear or mesh bags.

School districts will ask voters to help fund everything from additional safety measures to new schools.

The over-500 page report is the culmination of an 18-month long U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the shooting.

Crowley and Duncanville ISDs join Dallas and Mesquite in requiring students to carry see-through backpacks in an effort to bolster school safety.

The funding will go toward a new security operations building, upgrading old security equipment, and more.

Voters approved a new tax rate that district officials estimate will generate an additional $6.8 million a year for school security officers and staff retention.

A bill to increase the state’s support for school safety appears stalled in this month’s special legislative session. But even if it passes, superintendents warn it isn’t enough.

After the horrific Uvalde school shooting in 2022, lawmakers passed House Bill 3 this year, requiring armed, trained security in every Texas school. But so far, many North Texas school districts haven’t fully done so.