AISD to implement 1 armed officer at each campus in 5-2 vote

AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a meeting Thursday, the Austin ISD Board of Trustees voted to determine the appropriate number of police officers for each campus.

The recommendation for the board was to approve that one AISD police officer be placed at each of the district’s schools.

During the meeting, the agenda item passed with five in favor and two opposed.

The recommendation also stated there should be administrative discretion for assigning additional officers based on the size of the campus and the needs of the campus and surrounding vicinity.

Prior to the vote, the board had to consider House Bill 3, a school safety bill, which required Texas school districts to determine the appropriate number of armed security officers for each district campus, with the minimum being one armed security officer present during regular school hours at each campus.

According to AISD, the district employs about 82 full-time police officers, which include 43 School Resource Officers (SROs).

“Full implementation of this plan would necessitate the hiring of about 89 additional SROs and appropriate support staff,” the district said.

AISD said while working toward full staffing, it would prioritize schools by size and need, as well as current safety concerns at or near a campus.