CARROLLTON, Texas — North Texas school districts continue effort being in compliance with a law that went into effect last year, House Bill 3 (HB3), which is intended to improve public school safety in Texas.
Under the law, all districts are required to have an armed security guard on all campuses. A lack of funding and the cost it takes to cover these positions, however, have caused many districts to struggle to fulfill this requirement.
On Thursday, Carrollton Farmers-Branch Independent School District approved the hiring of additional Level Three staff. Level Three staff is described as armed security who are trained by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
They most recently approved the hiring of Level Three staffers over the summer, according to the district's past meeting agendas.
The district currently employs 42 Level 3 security officers across all of their campuses.
Districts in the metroplex has juggled ways to be in compliance with HB3. Cost and recruitment are the two biggest hurdles stopping them from complying with the new law. The state provided a $15,000 grant per campus, but the year-old law is primarily unfunded. The grant is just a tiny fraction compared to the money needed to comply with the mandate of hiring an armed officer at every school in Texas. According to the Texas Association of School Boards, it would cost $80,000 to place a resource officer at one campus.
HB3 does state that a district may claim a "good cause exemption" if it is unable to acquire armed security because of financial challenged. This may involve employing school marshals or individuals (guardians) who have completed necessary safety training.