San Marcos CISD votes to look into creating district police department

The agenda item approved at Monday night's meeting was the "discussion and possible action to form a subcommittee to investigate actions needed to create an SMCISD police force."

SAN MARCOS (KXAN) -- San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District at a meeting Monday night voted to create a subcommittee that would weigh what it takes to create a district police department.

The school district does not currently have a police department, but it did recently roll out a school marshal program, which is new this school year. Every elementary school now has a school marshal on campus. SMCISD also already had school resource officers at every secondary campus.

The agenda item approved at Monday night's meeting was the "discussion and possible action to form a subcommittee to investigate actions needed to create an SMCISD police force."

This would be different than the school marshal program already in place within the district.

This is in response to House Bill 3, a school safety bill that goes into effect Sept. 1 and requires an armed officer at every school. The bill was a response to the Robb Elementary mass shooting in Uvalde last May.

The law allows for school boards to claim a "good cause exception" if the district can’t find the funding or personnel to comply with the law, but the district must come up with an alternative plan. 

Georgetown ISD at its Monday meeting voted to seek an exception, and Austin ISD said earlier this month state funding from the bill won't cover half the cost it would take to comply with the law.

Other local school districts KXAN spoke with said they are also struggling to come up with the money and personnel to comply with the new law by the time it goes into effect.