Lufkin ISD applies to receive ballistic shields for school officers

LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) - Lufkin ISD which has over 7,000 students in its care, has approved a motion to submit an application to the state to receive ballistic shields for its campuses. With the recent school massacre in Uvalde, being prepared for the worst is on everyone’s mind, especially patrol officers at schools, like Jeff Taylor.

“We have a big task we have to do: providing safety and security, not only for the officers, but for those we are trained to protect at that point in time.”

Being equipped and properly trained when a crisis arises will enable officers to do that. The district hopes to receive 13 ballistic shields, one for each school. Taylor said they’re made to stop ammunition, from handguns to rifles.

The governor and Texas legislature transferred $105.5 million to support additional school safety and mental health initiatives as a direct result of the Uvalde shooting. The ballistic shields are part of that.

$50 million of that is for the ballistic shields for schools. $3 million is going into what they’re calling ALERRT active shooter training. ALERRT is designed to train first responders for situations like Uvalde.

They hope to have one shield in the hands of an officer at every school in the district.

“But if we didn’t have them, we’d still do our jobs and what we need to do,” Taylor assures.

They hope to have the shields in the hands of officers by the holidays.

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