Texas district OKs $1.5M for security after school shooting

SANTA FE, Texas – A school district near Houston has approved at least $1.5 million for increased security at its high school where a gunman killed eight students and two teachers two months ago.

The Santa Fe Independent School District’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to spend the money on security measures at Santa Fe High School, including new door locks, a lobby security vestibule and a new alarm system. The district will also renovate a section of the school where most of the shooting occurred.

“We want to get as many as these hardening things done as we can before school starts,” said J.R. Norman, the board president.

The 17-year-old student accused of carrying out the May 18 attack faces a spate of charges, including capital murder. In addition to the ten people who were killed, 13 others were injured.

A group of parents who were concerned about what they felt was the slow approval process and the district’s lack of communication met this week, with some members calling for more parental involvement at board meetings and district functions.

The group is also interested in recruiting parents to run for school board positions in the fall, according to members.

Norman, who attended the meeting, said one reason changes have taken so long is because the district is working to engage the community through its own safety and security committee. He said he’s open to participating and hosting more community meetings to answer parents’ questions and receive security-related feedback.

Some of the security changes will be ready when students return Aug. 20, but others won’t be completed until September.