Chance Ramos of Arc One speaks on Texas House Bill 2

Last week, Arc One Protective Services Founder and President, Chance Ramos, spoke to the Texas House of Representatives Select Committee on Educational Opportunity and Enrichment, advocating for two bills that would increase funding for school safety programs. Chairman Ken King went over the details of both bills and they are explained below:

An Overview of HJR1:

This legislation proposes a constitutional amendment that would take 1.1 billion dollars from seven stacks normally sent to the economic state stabilization fund and dedicate that money to the school safety fund. The resolution requires the excess of the foundation school program money to be swept into this new account at the end of each fiscal year.

This constitutional amendment would help fund future school safety projects permanently.

An Overview of Texas House Bill 2:

Chairmen Ken King stated that House Bill 2 establishes two grant programs that will be funded by the new state school safety fund established with HJR1. The first program is a school safety grant program capped at 1.1 billion. This program will fund the school safety allotment at a rate of 1% of the basic allotment per enrolled student plus campus allotment ranging from $50k -200k depending on the number of students on the campus. The second program is a school safety plan implementation grant program. This program will ensure schools are provided with financial support for projects that enhance the safety of schools by reimbursing districts the cost associated with implementing an approved school safety plan. Grants under this program are limited to $10 million dollars and $250 million dollars per year.

Of course, each school district is unique. The money schools would receive would be dependent on the safety plan set up by the individual school. The allotment speaks to $50,000 to $200,000 for campuses because the needs aren’t the same. Schools are being allowed to submit independent school safety plans because of this. Reimbursement and funding will depend on the school’s individual needs.

The first program is the safety allotment based on student enrollment. That is used for ongoing costs (training, mental health, security systems, etc). The second grant would be for if a school says they need metal detectors, safety fences, smart doors/locks, etc.

“With this legislation what we are trying to do is to make sure throughout the future that we’re not debating as body the price of a child’s safety.” Said Chairman King.

Arc One Protective Services Founder and President speaks to the committee on Texas House Bill 2 for School Safety Funding:

Arc One Founder and President, Chance Ramos, was called to testify as a witness for the case. He explained how Arc One has been approached by Texas schools with requests for proposals since Texas House Bill 3 passed earlier this year. In his statement, he notes that “area law enforcement agencies are frequently costlier than available security services leaving less well financed districts with undesirable options including not fulfilling the Texas state mandate. Additionally, while HB2 is a substantial move to alleviate the security conditions of many of its schools.”

And, something that Ramos pointed out, was that this grant funding is not just for security systems or personnel. A huge part of the tragic school shootings we’ve seen is an issue of mental health. “One excellent consideration in the proposed bill is the option for mental health funding. In addition to the physical security, technology, and mental health considerations written into this bill schools require expertise to apply available funds appropriately on products and services on which they are informed.” Making these resources available is a crucial step to ensuring our children’s safety in schools as we know that individuals who carry out violent attacks on other students typically suffer from mental health issues. This not only addresses a root problem, but the additional funding would provide safeguards for students regardless of the perpetrator.

Thank you Chance for speaking up for student safety!

At Arc One Protective Services, we work tirelessly to protect children while they learn at school. We are advocating to our governments in Florida and Texas to provide ample funding for Safe School security plans, and are deploying Guardians from the Arc One Guardian Program to defend students and offer a safe learning environment. For more information on our Guardian Program, click here.