In the wake of the shooting that occurred at a Florida high school in February, Fort Bend ISD has contracted a private security company to place uniformed security guards at several campuses without security vestibules.

Following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the district has received 25 threats, including posts from social media, FBISD Police Chief David Rider said. Some posts originated outside of the district, and some led to arrests, Rider said.

“Years ago, we put in a digital forensics lab in our school district police department,” Rider said. “It’s expensive to start. It’s time-consuming, but ... we see the fruits of that labor now.”

Additionally, at least one police officer is assigned at every middle and high school, said Amanda Bubela, FBISD director of external communications. These officers also regularly patrol elementary schools, she said.

“For the last 18 years, every officer in Texas has been trained to immediately go in and engage an active shooter,” Rider said. “We don’t wait for SWAT team. We go to the sound of the gunfire, and we stop the threat.”

Staff is also considering multiple options for safety and security enhancements, including implementing a concealed carry policy for employees, installing metal detectors and hiring additional police officers, Rider said.

“A safety advisory committee is being developed to provide an opportunity to the district and the community members to discuss safety ideas collaboratively," Rider said.

Karrie Washenfelder, president of Fort Bend American Federation of Teachers, said she surveyed approximately 1,800 FBISD employees—most of whom opposed arming teachers.

“Eighty-five percent said they could not sign up to carry a firearm and would not want to carry it throughout the day on them, so we have huge numbers that are against the idea of gun carry for teachers,” she said. “This goes against our training as nurturers, educators, protectors.”