With only a few days before the start of school, Dallas ISD says it will likely be years before they can fully staff all of their schools with armed officers. With more than 150 spots to fill, they’re now turning to options outside of their internal police department.
Under State law, HB3 requires all school systems to staff each campus with an armed officer. The law gives administrators the option to hire licensed private security firms including for Level III commissioned security officers. Level III commissioned officers do not have the authority to make an arrest.
Schools have a deadline of Sept. 1, however, for the second-largest school district in Texas, it will not be possible in the near future.
“We are not going to have 167 additional officers available at every single one of our schools,” Dr. Stephanie Elizalde said. Elizalde is the superintendent for Dallas ISD. “The feasibility of that is not possible. So, what they will see is they might see officers that will be coming during certain periods of time at elementary schools.”
The challenges, according to Elizalde, include shortages of officers and funding.
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“The expenditures are in the neighborhood of $ 12 million. I would state it is a $7-million, $8-million unfunded mandate for support that is necessary,” Elizalde said. “While certainly dollars are important, remember that this board will never have dollars be an impediment to safety. So, we would prioritize that. But truly, the biggest issue is the availability of workforce.”
According to Elizalde, the district’s internal police department of 72 officers will have to take on additional responsibilities.
“Our sergeants who supervise officers will now also be assigned to certain areas along with our patrols that we currently have,” Elizalde said.
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Dallas ISD will need to hire 167 officers to meet the law’s requirements.
“If our board approves this plan, we will be asking to utilize what are called level three security officers, as well as we will be working to recruit licensed peace officers from other entities,” Elizalde said. "Keep in mind that their role would simply be that of security and emergencies and they would not have arresting powers as our current police officers and peace officers do."
Under the law's alternate plan, large districts such as Dallas ISD can request more time.
“You do have to have a 3 to 5-year plan on how you're going to ensure that you will ultimately be in compliance,” Elizalde said.
According to Elizalde, parents can expect to see officers rotate throughout elementary and some mid-level campuses beginning on the first day of school. The goal, she said, is a response time within five minutes.
The first day of school for Dallas ISD is Monday, August 14.
