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Following the tragic school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers at a Uvalde elementary school last year, both the House of Representatives and Senate were in agreement in regard to prioritizing school safety during the most recent session.
Passed on June 14 and effective Sept. 1, Section 10 of House Bill 3 requires all school districts to provide armed security at each campus. However, the permittance of a district to claim a good cause exception due to lack of funding or qualified personnel requires a developed alternative standard of compliance allowing the flexibility of designating a school marshal, district employee under the guardian program, or Level 3 security officer to fill the requirement. Throughout Southeast Texas, many districts have claimed the good cause exception for a varying number of reasons.
Jackie Simien, director of Community and Media Relations for Beaumont ISD, stated that the district is unable to provide armed security at each campus at the present time. With 21 years of law enforcement experience, Beaumont ISD Chief of Police Joseph Malbrough said that the department currently staffs more officers than ever before and, although the district no longer employs the services of officers from other agencies such as Beaumont Police Department or Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Board of Trustees is currently considering all alternative options to fill the need.
“Beaumont ISD does not participate in the guardian program at present time, but the board has stated that no options are off the table at this point,” said Malbrough.
The Texas Guardian Program allows districts to train and arm staff members through the state-run school marshal program. Said program requires extensive background checks and mental health evaluation as well as 80 hours of training and certification by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.
“It is a tall demand,” said Malbrough. “But the safety of the students and staff is our first priority.”
With 16 elementary campuses, six middle schools and three high schools, Beaumont ISD, by in large, faces the highest demand of officers within Region 5.
“It costs between $75,000 and $85,000 to train and employ each officer annually,” said Malbrough. “And, although the state has good intentions and you cannot place a price on the safety of our students and staff, the $15,000 per campus and an increase from $9.80 to $10 per student is insufficient and causing most districts to invoke the good cause exception to allow for more time and flexibility.”
Malbrough said the district is currently in the process of onboarding additional officers, but for security reasons, they do not disclose the exact number of said officers to the public.
With 16 campuses to cover, Port Arthur ISD is in a similar situation.
“We’re working toward meeting the criteria,” said Superintendent Dr. Mark Porterie. “We have nine officers on our police force presently and intend to hire 16 additional armed security guards to have a staff of 25.”
Porterie said PAISD Chief of Police Howard Sylve brings a wealth of knowledge and skill with him, and that there is extensive vetting and training that goes into hiring the individuals charged with protecting the students and staff. Sylve, a U.S. Army Veteran of 13 years, served during Operation Iraqi Freedom and touts more than two decades of law enforcement experience.
“We are competing with over 1,200 districts and numerous municipalities, so it’s going to take time,” said Porterie.
“I am totally against teachers carrying guns, and 31 years ago when I decided to become an educator, I did not bargain for carrying a gun to school,” Porterie added. “I wanted to teach children and change lives so that they have better adult lives, and when a district decides that an employee is to carry a gun, they have to be the one to go to the threat. I cannot even imagine a teacher having to be faced with killing a student.”
Porterie’s stance against utilizing the Texas School Guardian Program means that the district will be working within the guidelines of the good cause exception.
In Hardin County, Lumberton ISD Director of Communications and Community Relations Mary Johnson said that the district is in compliance utilizing the good cause exception, as the district adopted the Guardian Program in 2018, clearing the way for employees to carry firearms.
“We have three student resource officers that are employees of Lumberton Police Department or the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office which rotate between five campuses, and additional staff members armed on each campus during the instructional day,” said Johnson.
According to Johnson participation in the LISD Guardian Program is strictly volunteer and said volunteers complete extensive training and screening. “Of course, for security reasons, I am not at liberty to say who or in what capacity these staff members serve the district,” said Johnson.
Johnson noted the volunteers complete training every summer.
The Silsbee ISD Police Department is led by Chief Robert Smith and lists a sergeant and two officers under his command. The district consists of four campuses, allowing for an armed officer at each campus with Smith covering the high school. Smith is a retired Beaumont Police Department officer with over 35 years of criminal justice experience. Smith is the former director of the LIT Regional Police Academy and holds specialized law enforcement training in criminal investigations, cybercrime, and internet crimes against children. Smith said he takes his responsibility of protecting the staff and students of Silsbee ISD seriously and is proud to do so daily. Director of Communications Kelsey Johnson said that while Smith is entering his second year of leading the department, he maintains a constant line of communication and supervision over the district, making them completely compliant without the need for the good cause exception.
Vidor ISD Chief of Police Mike Sanchez began his law enforcement career in 1995 and before retiring from Vidor Police Department Chief Sanchez had many roles including crisis negotiator, narcotics investigator and field training officer. Sanchez leads Vidor ISD Police Department’s staff of six armed officers and several additional security personnel. With six officers among the six campuses, Vidor ISD was completely compliant with House Bill 3 requirements prior to the Sept. 1 deadline without a need for a good cause exception.
With five campuses to cover, West Orange-Cove CISD Police Department Chief of Police Terrell Jenkins is new to the role this year, but certainly not new to law enforcement. Jenkins served Beaumont ISD for 11 years prior to becoming employed with WOCCISD and the U.S. Army veteran touts 19 years of law enforcement experience.
Jenkins currently supervises three armed officers and seven unarmed fulltime campus security officers. West Orange-Cove CISD does not participate in the Guardian Program and did not apply for the good cause exception, as they intend to have a total of five fulltime armed officers by the end of the month to meet full compliance with House Bill 3 according to Chief Communications Officer Dawn Martin.
According to Legacy Christian Academy Head of Schools Jessie Thomas, private schools are not included in the state’s requirement, but they have elected to protect their students and staff by maintaining a Beaumont Police Department Officer on campus at all times.
“We work with BPD and they do a great job keeping our campus safe and I know that they also cover Kelly High School, as well as All Saints,” said Thomas.
In addition to requiring armed guards on each campus, House Bill 3 created the safety and security department within the Texas Education Agency and requires the Texas School Safety Center to conduct reviews of campuses throughout the state once every five years to ensure compliance. The consensus among districts is once again that the unfunded or severely underfunded mandate places a significant financial burden on budgets that were already stretched thin. The sudden need for thousands of officers met with the lack of funds to employ officers has led the majority of districts statewide to file for good cause exception while alternate arrangements are made.
Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan stated Tuesday, Sept. 12, that Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to call a special session next month to address education funding and possibly increase the allotment for school safety