OGLESBY, Texas (KXXV) — For another year, the Oglesby Independent School District will not receive school resource officers. This comes after requests to the Coryell County Commissioners to include it in the budget.
In rural districts like Oglesby ISD, the responsibility for student safety falls primarily on school staff. Superintendent Shane Webb said there is a need for law enforcement to be present in the community, too.
“Just having a police car or some sort of presence, where people can see that there’s something here is important,” Webb said.
“We run what’s called the Guardian Program, so we do have staff that are armed. Better security would certainly take pressure off the Guardian Program and alleviate some responsibility from our staff,” Webb said.
The Guardian Program allows trained, armed staff to protect students and the campus. However, Webb said this is added pressure when their focus should be on teaching and supporting students.
“Just being a presence within the community is essential. At this time, there’s not a police presence, and I think it’s something that is very much needed in the Oglesby community. It would ease a lot of people's minds,” Webb said.
Despite Webb's request, local leaders did not add resource officers to this year’s budget. County Commissioner Ryan Basham said other commissioners did not see room for it at the moment.
However, he said the issue needs to be addressed and is exploring other options.
In the meantime, Webb said Oglesby ISD staff will continue doing what they do best: protecting, mentoring, and educating the little minds of the community.
“We would love to have resource officers. We’re just not in the position to fund them, and being a small school district makes it difficult to make that work,” Webb said.
While there are no exact numbers on how many school staff serve as guardians, a 2020 report from the Texas School Safety Center showed at least 280 school districts participate in the program statewide.
