GALENA PARK, Texas – Galena Park ISD leaders are preparing for changes this upcoming school year to ensure students are safe.
The Board of Trustees approved new safety measures Monday night, including hiring an additional 19 officers in the district.
“It’s all about safety, it’s just that simple. The more police officers we have in strategic locations, the safer we can keep our children,” said Superintendent Dr. John Moore.
They’ll be contracted through the Harris County Constable’s Office with Precincts 2 and 3.
All GPISD schools, pre-K facilities, and daycares will have full-time security.
“It will have an assigned police officer there the entire day, every day,” said Moore.
The school district serves 22,000 students on 26 campuses and daycare facilities.
This comes three weeks after a gunman opened fire inside Robb Elementary in Uvalde, killing 19 students and two teachers.
This week, GPISD partnered with Texas School Safety Center to host a week-long training for school resource officers from across the state.
“To get them in the Houston area, in our region is really good,” said Galena Park ISD Chief Bryan Clements.
Clements said hiring more officers is a step in their continuous effort to protect students.
“Our parents send us their most precious resource every day and we have the responsibility to take care of them and return them home safe,” said Clements. “Every day we take this seriously, and we pray for the best and plan for the worst.”
The first day of classes for the 2022-2023 school year is August 11.
Read the statement from Galena Park ISD:
On June 13, 2022, the Galena Park ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved a motion to give the Superintendent of Schools or his designee the authority to hire 19 additional Harris County Precincts 2 and 3 officers to patrol GPISD campuses and daycare facilities. “Safety is a top priority in GPISD, and it is a responsibility we take seriously,” said Board President Adrian Stephens. “This will ensure every campus and daycare has an assigned officer.”