What’s happening?
The district released proposal requests from third-party services for armed security guard companies Aug. 11, and the request window closed Sept. 22, FISD Chief Operations Officer Scott Warstler said.
During an Oct. 10 board meeting, Warstler said a committee that included himself and FISD’s Director of Security Kevin Haller, Executive Director of Operations James Hill and Director of Emergency Management Jon Bodie evaluated the bids the district received from 19 private security companies.
Warstler said the top three companies selected by the committee will be brought in for in-person interviews the week of Oct. 23. Interviews will be done by the committee as well as FISD school resource officers for input and insight, he said.
In case you missed it
The FISD board of trustees claimed an exemption to newly passed state legislation regarding security officers due to a lack of available qualified officers Aug. 14.
House Bill 3 was created by Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, and mandates all schools within a district must have an armed security officer present during regular school hours starting Sept. 1.
The district partners with police departments in Frisco, Plano, McKinney and Little Elm to provide SROs in schools. With the exemption, the district is continuing its current safety practice. All secondary schools have a full-time SRO, while middle school SROs assist in covering elementary schools. Under this practice, the district only uses commissioned peace officers.
As part of the resolution for the exception, the board of trustees directed district employees to provide monthly updates concerning safety and security for the district.
Looking ahead
An update on the review process will be given in November, Warstler said.
