Texas schools urge state legislature to improve school safety measures

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - School districts are looking to state lawmakers to pass legislation to increase school safety measures. This comes after the school shooting in Nashville that left six people dead, three of them children.

Texas HB 3 is a massive school safety bill that is currently being considered in committee. It was written by Lubbock Representative Dustin Burrows and co-authored by Representative Ken Kang.

While many districts across the state have already implemented safety measures like the crisis buttons here in Frenship schools, this bill would require at least one armed security officer on every campus within a school district.

While district representatives are pushing for this legislation to pass, they acknowledge that funding and training are major concerns that will also need to be addressed.

“We have to make sure there are real resources committed to mental health and wellness,” Midway ISD Superintendent Chris Allen said. “We have to make sure there are real resources committed to personnel specifically trained in helping students with these issues, and if our state doesn’t take that into account when thinking about how to address these issues, we’re never going to get where we need to be.”

Testimony was taken by the house committee earlier this week and the bill has yet to be approved to go to the house floor for a vote.

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