Wichita Falls ISD looking to add armed officers

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - Wichita Falls ISD held a board meeting on Tuesday, May 9 and if House Bill 3 passes senate, armed officers will be at every campus in the district.

The bill has passed the house and is currently in the legislative session. 1.6 billion dollars would be funneled to public education and Wichita Falls would use it to hire a armed officer at every school in the district. As of now, no elementary school has officers. The money would be able to buy weapons, bullet proof vest and new police vehicles.

“We would hire one police officer for every single campus, which we need 16 additional officers now” said Superintendent Dr. Donny Lee.

School shootings, threats and security have been an issue across the nation and having these funds to tighten security in schools may help in protecting our youth.

“There has been 664 school shootings nationwide, that has resulted in at least one victim or physically wounded” according to K-12 School Shooting Database. Texas has had 52 of those shootings. The most recent one being the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on May 24, 2022. This mass shooting led to 19 students being fatally shot, along with two teachers and 17 others injured.

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