Texas lawmakers OK armed guards at all schools, invest $330 million to beef up security

The Texas Legislature has approved and sent to Gov. Greg Abbott a bill that would require school districts to have an armed officer on every campus and invest $330 million to beef up school security statewide.

The bill emerged from a focus this session on school security after the May 24, 2022, shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde that left 19 children and two teachers dead, but some lawmakers worry that the investment isn't enough to cover districts' costs.

The legislation — House Bill 3, by Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock — is one of the few education bills that passed this session with big-ticket funding tied to its implementation after other bills that would have invested billions in schools perished over the weekend amid legislative deadlines.

The House on Sunday passed by a 93-49 vote a version of HB 3 agreed upon by a conference committee appointed by the House and Senate. The Senate also approved the legislation.

The bill accompanies $1.1 billion in the newly approved state budget for district security.

HB 3 requires districts to place an armed school-employed or contracted peace officer or school resource officer on every campus during school hours.

Districts that can't comply with the requirement may submit a waiver to the Texas Education Agency and ask to fulfill the requirement with another employee, such as a school marshal or a district worker, who undergoes training.

HB 3 gives districts $15,000 per campus for security funding and increases per-pupil safety funding from $9.72 to $10, in addition to some attendance-based funding.

As Burrows explained the new version of the bill in the House on Sunday, Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, worried that it didn't provide enough money and that requiring armed personnel on every campus would create an unfunded liability.

"While the aim is understandable, we must ask at what cost?" Goodwin said.

Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, argued that the bill gives other avenues for districts to comply with the personnel requirement if they can't afford to employ a peace officer.

HB 3 also enhances requirements for state oversight and auditing of district security and requires law enforcement in small counties to meet regularly with district officials.

The bill also upped the stakes for a district found not in compliance with security requirements. The old version of the bill allowed the TEA to install a monitor over the district. The newly passed version of the bill could mean districts not in compliance face the installation of a conservator, which is more severe and can require district officials to take certain actions.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Legislature: Lawmakers approve armed guards at all schools