The Houston Independent School District Board approved Thursday night a $2.3 million budget to purchase weapons and other gear to fully equip officers for any possible active shooter situations.
The funds will be used to buy rifles, dozens of ballistics plates, bullet proof vests, ammunition, communication devices and more for HISD police.
This comes after HISD’s police chief voiced concern last week over a lack of preparedness in the event of a school shooting like in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman entered Robb Elementary School and killed 19 children and two teachers,
The chief maintains that having these weapons and consistent training is key to preparedness. Multiple community members and parents also voiced concern over the move at the board meeting, saying more public input and studies are needed to see if this would truly be effective to keeping students safe.
Board members were split as well, but ultimately, the HISD Board approved the purchase and budget 6-3.