So will the kids that had guns at school be evaluated for mental illness?

Let's not forget that the "end of the school year" is when the troubled are more likely to act out...

@rocket : This is a great point...I think it deserves it's own thread but can't dedicate time to it now...I will say that it will be difficult for many ISDs to justify hiring more security while also laying off teachers....

Just received this email from Huffman DID admin:Huffman ISD Parents, Community, Students, and Staff:

The Huffman ISD administration wants to say again how much we appreciate the response of our parents, students, and staff to Monday's incident at Hargrave High School. Student safety and security remains a top priority in our school district. We once again applaud the student whose tip led to the apprehension of the suspect before he could harm himself or others. This student's willingness to come forward with such critical information is a great example of how important it is for us to report information that could be useful in protecting our students.

We are especially thankful to parents for sending your students to school today and for cooperating with the new expectations put in place for the remainder of the year. We also want to thank our local law enforcement officers for their presence at campuses this morning. Huffman ISD is very blessed to have so many caring staff, students, parents, and community members looking out for one another.

Moving forward, rest assured that Huffman ISD remains vigilant in our efforts to secure our schools. The input we have received via email, social media, and phone calls along with commentary from last night's school board meeting is important to us as we move forward in addressing future security plans for our district. We want to assure you that we hear you.

Today, the administrative team met with our officers to debrief Monday's events. There are many takeaways for us to consider, including appropriate action that was taken and action that we want to improve on. For several months now, we have been researching and considering additional measures to put in place to further enhance the security of campuses for the upcoming school year. We will bring all of this information together and develop a security plan that best fits the safety needs of all Huffman ISD students and staff.

In addressing security for the remainder of this school year, these are steps we have put in place that will help us move forward to having a successful end to the school year:
Increasing police presence on campuses, 24/7;
Increasing parking lot supervision around the district;
Providing an increased presence at building entrances and exits;
Disallowing backpacks at high school and middle school campuses for the remainder of the school year.
Again, we applaud the students who submit tips to us. We encourage our students and community to say something when you see or hear something. Anyone can submit tips anonymously via the district's tip line by calling or texting 832-777-7811, utilizing the Huffman ISD app, or students and parents may report information to a teacher or any staff member on their campus. Your information could very well save lives.

Sincerely,
Huffman ISD

The safety of every student is a top priority for the Huffman ISD administration and Board of Trustees. Over the past year, we have reviewed our current safety plans and district facilities and have researched options to making every campus in our district the safest place possible for students and staff. In addition to building safe, well-controlled entrances on each campus and better utilizing our security resource officers, we have been working closely with the Harris County Sherriff's Office (HCSO) to consider resources available to us with regard to school safety. After careful research of school security options, including discussions with districts that have already initiated security measures, Huffman ISD intends to implement a Guardian Plan for the 2018-2019 school year, which will allow us to arm highly qualified district employees. We feel strongly that a Guardian Plan in addition to our existing security plans will give us the greatest chance of protecting our children in the event of a tragedy such as a school shooting.The primary purpose of the Guardian Plan is to protect students from an active shooter prior to the arrival of law enforcement. The plan will provide hand-picked, highly-trained, armed employees the ability to defend students and themselves in the unfortunate event of an active shooter on a campus. The program will begin with very stringent and purposeful training from the Harris County Sherriff's Office. The Guardians will include staff, administrators, and school officials who meet strict requirements set forth by our Board of Trustees. Some requirements might include having a Concealed Handgun License, passing a psychological exam like the one local law enforcement officials have to pass, and meeting annual training and qualification standards (including tactical training). Huffman ISD will place a heavy emphasis on the training our Guardians receive before and throughout their participation in the program. Our work with the Harris County Sherriff's Office will continue long after policy is put in place. We will depend on HCSO to provide ongoing training as long as this program is in existence. Thank you,Huffman ISD Administration

@ENB has your child said anything to you about having the sheriffs stay at school all day? I was at one of the elementary schools yesterday and there were two sheriffs there all day. One of the kids told them that they were glad they were there because they felt safe at school again. It is horrible that elementary kids are scared to go to school.

@mom2mms : My kid is oblivious to anything going on around her 😂. However when I went to awards there were 2 outside of the theater. They did let everyone who came in just walk in though. I figured they'd check id.