Texas district OKs $1.5M for security after school shooting
Mourners visit a memorial in front of Santa Fe High School on May 21, 2018 in Santa Fe, Texas. The makeshift memorial honors the victims of the May 18 shooting that left 10 people dead. (Scott Olson/Getty)
SANTA FE, Texas (AP) - A school district near Houston has approved at least $1.5 million for increased security at its high school where a gunman killed eight students and two teachers two months ago.
The Santa Fe Independent School District's Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to spend the money on security measures at Santa Fe High School, including new door locks, a lobby security vestibule and a new alarm system. The district will also renovate a section of the school where most of the shooting occurred.
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"We want to get as many as these hardening things done as we can before school starts," said J.R. Norman, the board president.
The 17-year-old student accused of carrying out the May 18 attack faces a spate of charges, including capital murder. In addition to the ten people who were killed, 13 others were injured.
A group of parents who were concerned about what they felt was the slow approval process and the district's lack of communication met this week, with some members calling for more parental involvement at board meetings and district functions.
Read Santa Fe High School students return 11 days after deadly shooting
The group is also interested in recruiting parents to run for school board positions in the fall, according to members.
Norman, who attended the meeting, said one reason changes have taken so long is because the district is working to engage the community through its own safety and security committee. He said he's open to participating and hosting more community meetings to answer parents' questions and receive security-related feedback.
Read 10 killed, 13 injured in Santa Fe High School shooting, suspect in custody
Some of the security changes will be ready when students return Aug. 20, but others won't be completed until September.