Amarillo ISD Renews Security Exception

Amarillo ISD has renewed an exception allowing an alternative security plan where it cannot station an armed officer at every campus during the school day.

Texas’ requirement began under House Bill 3 in 2023. A good cause exception allows districts with funding or staffing limitations to adopt another standard.

Board leader Jon Mark Beilue called the requirement an underfunded mandate. The district says it uses its own police, Amarillo officers and trained employees authorized through its guardian or defender program.

Officials say every campus has an assigned officer, even when that officer is not stationed there. An assignment and a continuous presence are different arrangements, helping explain why the exception remains part of the plan.

The district says its police department has grown and will keep expanding to move closer to the state requirement. State guidance requires annual review and renewal of exceptions.

The renewal addresses the district’s staffing and security policy.

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