SOMERSET, Texas – Students at the Somerset Independent School District will see some changes this year when it comes to school security.
Armed officers are now on every campus. Four new officers started Monday, bringing the total number of full-time officers to seven.
In May, the Somerset ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved the decision to add armed officers after the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. The decision came just days before the fatal school shooting in Santa Fe, not far from Galveston.
“We’re looking forward to a great school year and we want every Somerset ISD resident to know when their kid steps into our buildings, we want them to know they are safe,” said Saul Hinojosa, Somerset ISD superintendent.
Hinojosa said the district was using the money set aside for staffing positions that were vacant or repurposed, plus an additional $30,000 within the district’s budget, to cover the cost of hiring the officers.