{"id":2030431,"date":"2023-09-13T11:42:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-13T15:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-schools-struggling-to-comply-with-state-law-mandating-armed-security-officers-reports\/"},"modified":"2023-09-13T11:48:03","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T15:48:03","slug":"texas-schools-struggling-to-comply-with-state-law-mandating-armed-security-officers-reports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-schools-struggling-to-comply-with-state-law-mandating-armed-security-officers-reports\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas schools are having difficulty meeting the requirement of having armed security officers, as mandated by state law."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftexas-schools-struggling-to-comply-with-state-law-mandating-armed-security-officers-reports%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2030431&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>A new Texas law is taking action to enhance public school safety. The law, which went\u2062 into effect earlier this month, \u2064requires armed security\u200b guards at nearly 9,000 public school campuses across the state. However, reports indicate that not every school\u2064 has chosen to comply with the legislation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/legiscan.com\/TX\/text\/HB3\/id\/2820197\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Texas House \u200cBill 3<\/a> was signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on June 14 and went into \u200beffect\u2064 on Sept. 1.\n  <\/div>\n<p>This legislation was \u2064prompted by the tragic Uvalde school shooting in May 2022, which claimed the lives of 19 \u200cchildren and two teachers at \u2063Robb Elementary School.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/nyc-mayor-could-not-last-a-week-in-texas-amid-illegal-immigration-crisis-gov-abbott-5490755\">NYC Mayor \u2063\u2018Could Not Last a Week in Texas,\u2019 Amid Illegal Immigration Crisis: Gov.\u2064 Abbott<\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/13\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/nyc-mayor-could-not-last-a-week-in-texas-amid-illegal-immigration-crisis-gov-abbott-5490755\"><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/texas-ag-ken-paxton-impeachment-trial-could-wrap-up-by-weeks-end-5489567\">Texas AG Ken\u2062 Paxton Impeachment Trial Could Wrap Up by Week&#8217;s End<\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/11\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/texas-ag-ken-paxton-impeachment-trial-could-wrap-up-by-weeks-end-5489567\"><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Under this\u2064 new \u200dlaw, schools are required to develop and implement a &#8220;multihazard emergency operations plan&#8221; to address prevention, mitigation, preparedness, and response during disaster and emergency situations. They \u200bmust also establish a &#8220;school safety and security committee,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-schools-struggling-to-comply-with-state-law-mandating-armed-security-officers-reports\/\" title=\"Texas schools are having difficulty meeting the requirement of having armed security officers, as mandated by state law.\">regularly conduct \u2063emergency school drills<\/a> and exercises, and identify weaknesses or vulnerabilities in their campus security.<\/p>\n<p>The measure states, &#8220;The board of trustees of \u200ceach school district shall\u2064 determine the appropriate number of\u2063 armed\u200b security officers for each district campus. The board must ensure that at\u2062 least one <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/we-find-ourselves-in-a-crisis-oakland-police-chief-criticizes-city-council-after-police-budget-slashed-amid-spike-in-crime\/\" title=\"\u2018We Find Ourselves In A Crisis\u2019: Oakland Police Chief Criticizes City Council After Police Budget Slashed Amid Spike In Crime\">armed security officer<\/a> is present during regular school hours at each district campus.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The bill allows for various individuals to serve as armed guards, including school district peace officers, school resource\u200b officers, commissioned peace officer employees, school marshals, or school district employees who have completed school safety training and carry a handgun on school premises.<\/p>\n<p>Schools are also required to provide mental health training to\u200b employees who regularly interact with students, focusing on\u2062 the recognition and support \u2063of children and youth who may pose \u200da threat to school safety\u2064 due to mental health or substance use issues.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Reggie Daniels pays his\u2063 respects a memorial at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on \u200dJune 9, 2022. (Eric Gay, File\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Funding Issues<\/h2>\n<p>    Additionally, schools must agree to undergo annual on-site intruder detection audits, \u2063safety and \u2064security audits of \u200cschool facilities every three years, and a review \u2064of facilities every five \u200byears.\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<p>As part of the measure, the state will provide \u200bschool\u2064 districts\u2062 with a $15,000\u200d grant per\u200d campus\u200c to cover the costs.<\/p>\n<p>The legislation includes exceptions for schools that cannot afford to hire armed security\u2062 guards\u2064 or do \u2063not have enough personnel \u2062who qualify as security officers, making it impossible\u200b for them to comply with the law.<\/p>\n<p>Supporters of the bill, including Republican lawmakers, believe it will significantly enhance safety in Texas \u200bschools. However, opponents, such as the Intercultural Development \u2062Research Association (IDRA), a nonprofit focused on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-admin-drops-support-for-female-high-school-students-suing-over-transgender-athletes\/\" title=\"Biden Admin Drops Support for Female High School Students Suing Over Transgender Athletes\">equal educational opportunity<\/a>, \u200bhave raised concerns. They cited\u2062 a study by the \u2063National \u2064Library of Medicine, which found that the majority of school shooters are actively suicidal \u200dand intend to die in the act, casting doubt on the effectiveness\u200c of armed security in deterring such incidents.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Schools Struggling to Hire Armed Guards<\/h2>\n<p>    &#8220;We all\u200c support the idea,&#8221; said Stephanie Elizalde, superintendent of the Dallas \u2062Independent School District, which has over \u2064140,000 students. \u200b&#8221;The biggest challenge for all superintendents \u2062is that this is yet again an\u2063 unfunded mandate.&#8221;\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<p>Elizalde explained that while the state provides an additional\u2064 $15,000 per campus, it is still insufficient \u2064to hire additional\u2064 armed \u2064officers. In Texas&#8217;s second-largest district, it would cost an extra $75,000 for each additional officer.\u200d According to an analysis by IDRA, \u200chiring an armed security guard for an\u200b entire \u200cschool year \u200ccould cost up to $100,000.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, some school districts have opted to hire private \u2063security firms or arm more\u200d staff and teachers. Others, including \u200dHouston ISD, Fort Worth \u200bISD, and \u200cKaty ISD, are seeking exemptions from the law due \u200bto difficulties in filling officer\u2063 positions at \u200csome schools, as reported \u200cby Houston Public Media.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>A makeshift memorial sits outside Robb Elementary School, the site of a mass shooting on May 24, in Uvalde, Texas, on June 21, 2022. (Charlotte Cuthbertson\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;All school districts that do\u2062 have police departments, and not all do, but all school districts that have police departments, by my understanding, have struggled\u2062 to fill \u200dspots,&#8221; said \u2064Steve.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Texas law to enhance school safety mandates armed security guards at all 9,000 public school campuses. However, reports suggest not all schools are following the legislation. Republican Gov. Greg signed the law, known as Texas House Bill 3, which took effect this month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":69,"featured_media":2030432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2030431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2030431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/69"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2030431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2030431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2030432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2030431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2030431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2030431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}