Board action to develop an alternative plan until additional School Resource Officers are hired

House Bill 3, the School Safety Bill from the 88th Legislative Session was signed into law by Governor Abbott on June 14, 2023. One requirement of the legislation is that each Texas school board must ensure the presence of an armed, “qualified” security officer on each campus during regular school hours, effective September 1, 2023. The legislation also permits school districts to claim a “good cause exemption” due to lack of funding or lack of personnel. This exception allows the school district to create an alternate plan. 

Dr. Padavil shared two main obstacles on meeting the September 1 deadline: lack of funding from the state and a shortage of qualified security officers in the job market. The impact to the district’s budget to hire an additional 12 SROs would come at a cost approximately 10 times higher than the state’s funding contribution. 

Currently, seven school resource officers (SRO) are assigned to campuses throughout GISD, and the level of service they provide to elementary, middle and high school campuses will remain the same while the district works to increase the presence of qualified armed officers at every campus. 

The district values the relationship with Georgetown Police Department and is working closely with them on solutions including the continued presence of SROs on all campuses even when additional armed guards are present.