Elgin ISD signs new security contract

The Elgin Independent School District board of trustees recently voted to approve a contract with Texas Public Safety and Investigations to provide an armed security officer at each campus in the district.

TXPSI security officers started on campuses Oct. 17.

“We appreciate our school board’s support and work to ensure our schools are safe,” said Bridgette Cornelius, Elgin ISD’s new executive director of safety and risk management, who started in July.

Each of the security officers assigned to Elgin ISD holds non-commissioned and commissioned security licenses with Texas Department of Public Safety, and are certified in CPR, first aid and automated external defibrillator use.

Some have also previously worked as emergency medical technicians and firefighters, and all are licensed school crossing guards.

This action meets the requirements of House Bill 3, implemented in the wake of the Uvalde mass casualty event, the deadliest school shooting in Texas history, where 19 children and two teachers were left dead.

The bill develops campuswide security measures and mandates the presence of school resource officers and armed security guards, on every school grounds.

Until now, the district has employed veteran peace officers, according to information on the Elgin ISD website, and has consistently made school security a focus point.

“Safety and security is our number one priority. The kids have to be safe in order to learn, and the teachers, and everybody in the building, have to feel that level of safety,” added Cornelius, in a recent interview.

Compensation for the new TXPSI officers was not specified, but the general salary for SROs is typically around $70,000, not including equipment and other fees.

The bill provides a flat $15,000 for each campus and additional funding for the number of enrolled students, but this does not come close to matching the costs, according to Cornelius.

“Safety and security is our number one priority. The kids have to be safe in order to learn.”

—Executive Director of Safety and Risk Management Bridgette Cornelius