The law that changed the morning bell routine
Texas House Bill 3 moved from headline to mandate on Sept. 1, 2023. Every public campus now must post at least one armed security officer during school hours and prove ongoing active-shooter readiness. Districts also have to collect digital safety data and submit regular audits to the Texas School Safety Center. (Texas School Safety Center)
Why districts are sweating the price tag
The Legislature boosted per-student safety funding to $10—pennies against the ≈$100 per-student real cost districts reported this spring. (The Texas Tribune) HISD, the state’s largest district, still needs officers for roughly 170 campuses despite scrambling to add 80 armed posts last year. (Houston Chronicle, Reform Austin)
Campus Safety Magazine pegs the annual expense of a fully-certified armed guard around $85 K, while HB 3 offers just $15 K per campus. (Campus Safety Magazine) No wonder more than half of Texas districts have yet to comply. (NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth)
Three deployment models that satisfy the mandate and the budget
| Model | Estimated Annual Cost† | Pros | Watch-outs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-Time Armed Security Guards (contracted) | $80-$90 K | Turn-key staffing, TCOLE-trained, instant deterrence | Highest recurring cost |
| Guardian/Marshal Hybrid (train select staff) | $5-$10 K per employee | Leverages existing payroll, faster campus familiarity | Training liability, community optics |
| Split-Shift Armed Guards + AI Remote Monitoring | $45-$60 K | Armed presence during peak hours; smart cameras extend coverage; patrols after hours | Requires reliable networks & policy tuning |
†State averages; your mileage will vary.
A closer look at each option
1. Full-time armed officers
When you want visible deterrence and immediate response authority, nothing beats a uniformed professional. Our security guards complete TCOLE-approved active-shooter refreshers every 12 months—twice the statutory rhythm—and file digital patrol logs your auditors can download in seconds.
2. Guardian or Marshal programs
HB 3 lets districts authorize trained employees as “armed personnel” if you adopt rigorous policies. We’ve helped rural superintendents build guardianship rosters, vet psychological screenings, and run scenario drills without blowing payroll. Use guardians to cover interior halls while one contracted officer commands the front vestibule.
3. The hybrid that’s winning bids in 2025
Many suburban districts rotate armed guards for morning drop-off, lunch, and dismissal—then hand overnight watch to AI-enabled cameras tied to our mobile patrols. When video analytics spot a breach, roving officers respond within minutes and push real-time feeds to local law enforcement.
Five-step action plan for superintendents
- Audit every campus entrance for sightlines, ballistic film, and radio dead zones.
- Decide your staffing mix—contract, guardian, or both—before summer onboarding closes.
- Secure board approval for updated use-of-force and parental communication policies.
- Integrate tech: badge readers, weapons-detection gates, and cloud video that meets the HB 3 evidence standard.
- Lock funding partners—tap TEA safety grants, county constable agreements, or regional co-ops to share officer costs.
How Nationwide Investigations & Security, Inc. keeps you compliant without sticker shock
- Statewide bench of armed and unarmed officers cleared through FBI & DPS background checks.
- Accelerated recruiting pipeline—we can staff up to 25 campuses in under 30 days.
- Guardian-program coaching that slashes your training burden by 40 %.
- Smart-surveillance installs married to cloud dashboards you can access on any device.
- Digital record-keeping that syncs with TEA audit portals—no extra paperwork.
Need a numbers-driven proposal before the next board meeting? Call 800-294-6042 or request a custom school-security blueprint.
More of our School-safety Information
- School Security Guards & Officers – our focused service page on campus protection strategies and pricing. (https://ntwinvestigations.com/security-services/security-officers/protecting-our-schools/)
- 24/7 Security Guard Patrols – see how mobile patrol units extend coverage when budgets are tight. (https://ntwinvestigations.com/services/security-guard-patrols/)
Keeping Texas students safe isn’t optional, and neither is HB 3. Let’s build a safety plan that meets the law—without wiping out your budget.
