BURLESON (WBAP/KLIF News ) – Burleson Independent School District’s Board of Trustees approved the hiring of eight former law enforcement officers with elite training and skills to protect student and staff at their elementary schools.
At Monday night’s meeting, the board unanimously approved placing the armed officers on those campuses.
According to the district, the school safety officers have a combined 300 years of expertise with backgrounds in Special Weapons and Tactics, executive and dignitary protection, police intelligence, military police, high intensity drug trafficking enforcement, school resource officer programs and school and city Emergency Operations Plans.
School Superintendent Dr. Bret Jimerson said the decision was in response to May 24th school massacre in Uvalde.
“The parents, the students, the staff we want them to show up and do what they’re there to do. In particular to the staff, I want them to be able to teach our children without having to worry about their safety or the safety of their children,” he said.
The change is part of the district’s new school security initiative.
The district had already hired 30-year Fort Worth Police Department veteran and former homicide Detective Curt Brannon and 36-year Fort Worth PD veteran and former Gang Intelligence and Detective Sergeant Richard Morris as the first SSOs in the program.
“We were consulting with our Burleson Police Department. In fact, our chief of police at the department sat in on all of the interviews for our security officers and has worked hand and glove with us every step of the way,” said Superintendent Jimerson.
Some of the armed officers started this week but the goal is to have guards on all campuses in the next few weeks.
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