the impact of Texas house bill 3: How safe school professionals + the Arc one guardian program are Keeping our kids safe while they learn.

Welcome to the Arc One Protective Services blog. As our business continues to grow, we are constantly looking for new ways to connect with our clients and create safer environments for the communities we serve. This blog aims to do just that - to share tips on safety and to be a trusted and reliable source in the growing private security industry.

While we are dedicated to keeping businesses, property, events, and entities safe and secure, we’ve dedicated a significant amount of time this year to boosting our presence in schools. This is largely due to the passing of Texas House Bill 3 which enhances school safety measures. This bill requires at least one armed security officer on every school campus and provides incentives for employees who are trained to carry a firearm.

This bill also gives the state more power to encourage districts to have active-shooter plans. Such plans are crucial if we want to keep children safe in this new world we live in. This new world, where school shootings seem to be more and more frequent, is affecting how our children learn.

A study conducted in July 2022 by Safe and Sound Schools, found that one-third of students reported not feeling safe at school. It also showed that there has been a rise in substance abuse, depression, and anxiety among students. While there are many factors at play, including bullying and cyberbullying, it’s safe to say that our students are struggling with learning, and post-Covid test scores only reinforce this new reality.

Texas School Bill 3 also requires mental health training for certain employees. This would help identify children who are struggling and create resources for them to get the counseling and help they need.

While this new bill in Texas is a huge win for our students (and parents), Arc One Protective Services has been working with schools in Florida with the Arc One Protective Services Guardian Program, since 2018. The Coach Aaron Feds Guardian Program trains our officers and these armed personnel aid in the prevention or mitigation of active assailant incidents on Florida School Campuses.

Our highly trained personnel are in place to respond quickly in the event of an active shooter. Our Guardians (Florida) and Safe School Professionals (Texas) are community-minded individuals with the desire to protect student and faculty populations from violent threats.

Arc One Protective Services hand-picks our Guardians Program Professionals and Safe School Professionals, from a pool of applicants of law enforcement, military, and former security and educator backgrounds. All SSPs and Guardians are team players and role models in the communities they serve.

We are excited that the state of Texas is investing in school safety, and we hope to see similar bills passed across the country.