Two school districts in North Texas say threats were made against campuses Wednesday. Denton Police say they were told about "an image circulating on social media regarding a threat to Denton schools," and Haltom City Police said students told them about a threat made against Birdville ISD's Haltom Middle School.
Both cases were hoaxes, but the departments said they take all threats seriously and have continued to investigate.
In Austin, state lawmakers are likely to dedicate additional money for school security. HB 3 would require regular school safety inspections and provide funding for safety measures. Each school would be required to have an officer on campus.
The Texas House and Senate are now negotiating budget proposals. The House measure would include $1.6 billion for school security; the Senate measure would include $1.3 billion.
School districts in North Texas said they have taken steps to make sure kids can focus on classwork, but they say additional funding would help as security evolves.
"It's sad that we're having this conversation, but we're moving toward having silent panic alert access in every classroom," said Northwest ISD Superintendent Mark Foust.
Northwest ISD is one of the fastest growing school districts in Texas, growing from 6,177 students 20 years ago to 29,248 now.
Foust said the panic buttons would be integrated with VoIP telephone service so teachers could hit a button to notify district security and local police. Northwest ISD has schools in 14 different jurisdictions and three counties.
Foust said each of those police departments also have the ability to log into Northwest ISD's camera system to watch feeds in real-time.
Argyle ISD started its own police department in 2012. Superintendent Telena Wright says schools there also use cameras, limited access and have screening procedures in place.
"It's on my mind 24/7. There's nothing that ever leaves my mind about students being safe," Wright said. "Absolutely. The most important thing we do all day long is keep students safe."
Wright said she supports measures in Austin that would provide funding so schools can provide security while also maintaining a welcoming atmosphere for kids.
"I'd like to see that students can be protected, that we can have the staff we need," she said.
The Texas House has passed HB 3; a hearing is scheduled in the Texas Senate Thursday.
The measure would also require armed security at every campus. The bill would provide districts with $15,000 to upgrade security plus $100 for each student.
Northwest ISD's Faust said districts would need to work together to ensure enough school resource officers are trained.
"I hope we have the funding to go out and find the folks to be able to meet these needs," he said. "There are about 8,800 schools across the State of Texas."
Right now, he said Northwest ISD has officers stationed at every middle and high school. He said school resource officers rotate among elementary schools.
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