Lake Travis school district aims to buy bulletproof shields

The Lake Travis school board on Wednesday voted unanimously to allow the district's Police Department to apply for a grant to purchase bulletproof shields and to require the district to buy and store opioid antagonists.

The shooting in Uvalde that killed 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary in May "emphasized the importance of security in public schools," said Pam Sanchez, Lake Travis' assistant superintendent for curriculum instruction.

In response to the mass shooting. she said, state officials created grant programs for schools to respond to such emergencies. Among those programs is the Bullet-Resistant Shield Grant Program, which allows school districts and other eligible organizations to apply for grants to "equip peace officers with bullet-resistant shields," according to an announcement released by the governor's office in June.

"We would love to apply for this grant and get funding for seven shields totaling $63,000 — that's $9,000 each," Sanchez said. "They’re very expensive, but it's a piece of equipment we do not currently have for our police force here."

Andy Michael, the school district's police chief and director of security, is applying for the grant but required authorization from the school board before continuing with the process, Sanchez said. Once approved by the state, Lake Travis will have 12 months to purchase the shields with the grant, Sanchez said.

Additionally, the school board approved an amendment toits policy manual requiring the district to purchase and store opioid antagonists in the event of a opioid overdose by a student, parent, visitor or anyone else who may be on a campus, said Matthew Tiffee, general counsel in the district's legal services department.

Tiffee said a number of opioid overdoses have happened to students in surrounding communities.

"What's occurring that's being reported is that certain individuals are bringing counterfeits, pharmaceutical pills, which are being taken by students who believe they're taking less ... (dangerous) drugs than fentanyl and other opioids would be," Tiffee said.

Tiffee said he is not aware of any opioid overdoses by Lake Travis students. However, requiring campuses to store opioid antagonists is taking a proactive stance, said Trustee Lauren White.

The opioid antagonists, which come in the form of a nasal spray, would be administered by a nurse or trained individuals in the event of an overdose, said Tiffee.

"Time is in the essence in situations like this and (opioid antagonists) can save lives," Tiffee said. "It's an easy fix, it's a straight forward fix."

Lake Travis already has the opioid antagonists available to be purchased and the costs will be minimal or none, Tiffee said,as the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services would reimburse the costs.

Sanchez also told the board the enrollment for the 2022-23 school year is lower than the district's projection of 11,898 students, but said enrollment is increasing. The district's current enrollment total is 11,407 students, and will continue being tracked until Oct. 28, when enrollment numbers will be sent to the Texas Education Agency. Sanchez said the decrease in students could affect the school board's budget, as it is dependent on enrollment numbers. Sanchez said she predicts enrollment numbers will increase, particularly in elementary schools, as construction across the school district ends and home sales close.

Lake Travis ISD's next school board meeting is Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. in the Live Oak Room at the Educational Development Center.