What you need to know
The board approved at its Dec. 11 workshop meeting the exception to the bill, which creates a number of security requirements for school districts across Texas. Chief among them is one that requires districts to have armed security officers at each of its campuses during school hours.
Passed in June and implemented in September, the law allows districts to pass exceptions to the bill if they are unable to meet the financial needs or the personnel requirements of the bill.
How we got here
In July, district officials said they were confident they could meet the bill's requirements based on advice from the district’s School Safety and Security Committee. However, in October, the board held a closed session discussion about the bill.
On Oct. 11, CCISD Chief Communications Officer Elaina Polsen said the district remains confident in its plan, and the discussion arose due to officers traveling from one campus to another, which results in not every elementary school having an armed officer all day, every day.
Polsen also said on Oct. 11 the district has good relationships with its local law enforcement agencies, and a number of schools are located either close to or next door to police stations.
What they’re saying
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Trustee Scott Bowen said the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office does “a great job for us,” and the district has adequate coverage across its schools.
“This has been through a lot of discussion, and I think what we’re voting on today is greatly improved from the original version and really reflects the fact that we’re very confident in our security procedures,” Bowen said.
What else?
Several school districts across the state as well as in the region have approved good cause exceptions to the law. Some of those include Alvin ISD and Pearland ISD.
