New Texas law requires armed security personnel in every school

In addition to providing armed security personnel, HB 3 mandates the following:

• Mental health training for employees who regularly engage with students,
• Annual intruder detection audits,
• An emergency response map that includes floor plans, access control, and exterior door labeling of every building on every campus,
• A multi-hazard emergency operations plan,
• Safety and security audits of school facilities every three years,
• Semiannual meetings between the county Sheriff’s Office and at least 10 other collaborating agencies, and
• Physical facilities’ inspection for design, construction, performance, operational, and other standards relating to safety and security at least once every five years.

According to the Texas Association of School Boards, estimated costs to install an armed officer at one campus is $80,000. However, the state is only providing a $15,000 grant per campus for the mandate.

As a result, school districts will need to reprioritize budgetary items, noted Joy Baskin, director of Policy Service and Legal Services for the Texas Association of School Boards, FOX 4 reported.

“This does create a situation where school district budgeting has to prioritize safety,” Baskin said. “Given that a school district budget usually commits about 85% of the budget to pay salaries of instructional staff, this does eat up another very important slice of the pie.”