The El Paso Independent School District is seeking an exemption from a Texas state law requiring armed officers at every campus.

During Tuesday night’s school board meeting, the board voted to request an exemption from the Texas Education Agency to comply with House Bill 121.

The legislation mandates at least one armed security officer per campus, with at least one of these officers being a commissioned peace officer.

In the resolution approved by the board at the board meeting, the district cited a shortage of qualified officers and efforts to address the issue, including agreements with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and the El Paso Police Department to hire off-duty officers as school resource officers.

Despite these measures, the district stated that they are insufficient to meet the requirements.

KFOX14/CBS4 first reached out to EPISD for an interview to talk about the board’s decision on Wednesday, and on Thursday morning, a spokesperson said they were looking into our request.

KFOX14/CBS4 followed up and called EPISD on Thursday afternoon to see if anyone was available and got told no.

EPISD said they are working on getting back a statement on how it plans to address the shortage to not have to apply for an exemption every year.

Here’s a look at the resolution:

KFOX14/CBS4 reached out to the other two largest school districts in the El Paso County area.

A spokesperson for the Ysleta Independent School District confirmed compliance with the law, stating, “We can confirm that Ysleta ISD is in compliance because we have an armed defender at every campus.”

KFOX14/CBS4 reached out to the Socorro Independent School District and did not hear back.

Here are the statements from other districts in the area:

Canutillo ISD:

Canutillo ISD is in full compliance with HB 121. We have an armed peace officer at every campus.

San Elizario ISD:

San Elizario ISD prioritizes the safety and well-being of every student and staff member. Each campus is assigned an armed peace officer to ensure a secure learning environment.Our district peace officers, security team, administrators, and all personnel work collaboratively to maintain the highest standards of safety and preparedness across our schools.

Fabens ISD:

Fabens ISD remains fully committed to ensuring the safety and security of all students, staff, and visitors across our schools. The district currently has a School Resource Officer (SRO) assigned to each of our campuses during school hours. These officers are certified peace officers who work closely with district administration to maintain a safe learning environment, provide proactive safety education, and build positive relationships with students.We continuously collaborate with local law enforcement and emergency response partners to review and strengthen our safety measures, ensuring compliance with state requirements outlined in House Bill 3 and the updated House Bill 121.At Fabens ISD, safety is our top priority, and we are grateful for the ongoing support of our law enforcement partners and community as we work together to protect our students and staff.

Anthony ISD:

The Anthony ISD Board of Trustees approved a Good Cause Exemption for HB 121. Despite not currently having an armed officer at each campus under this allowed exemption, we are taking several approaches to continue prioritizing safety and ensure we remain in compliance with the law.Our Safety and Security Manager — a former police officer — is currently completing the Texas School Marshal Program, which will authorize the employee to carry a firearm on school grounds. We anticipate to complete the Texas School Marshal Program by the end of November.Additionally, our district’s three schools are all within walking distance of one another, and each campus has a patrol officer who has completed training in security awareness, emergency response and mental health support.We also maintain a close partnership with the Anthony Police Department whose headquarters are located just across the street from our schools.Safety is always at the top of our minds, and we hold with the utmost respect the responsibility of ensuring everyone in our district feels safe while learning and working in our facilities.

Clint ISD:

Clint ISD’s primary focus is always the safety and well-being of our students and staff. Our school district transitioned to a new security firm, Rock Solid Protection, on October 1, 2025. Rock Solid Protection has an outstanding reputation for comprehensive school security. Their team has extensive experience in educational environments and a proactive approach to keeping all of our campuses secure. Rock Solid Protection will provide security at each Clint ISD campus under House Bill 3 which requires armed security officers during school hours.

Tornillo ISD did not get back to KFOX14/CBS4 in time for this report.

Community members expressed safety concerns and urged districts to prioritize security.

“I think security should be the priority of every district. We don’t know when a tragedy can happen,” parent Matilde Romero said. “I don’t want to imagine what many parents have gone through at not being able to pick up their kids from school, when school should be a 100% safe environment.”

“I think they’re being transparent and they’re acknowledging their areas of their weakness and the fact that they’re requesting the community to come out and help and make their self available and provide those options so that they’re putting in the effort,” said resident Donna Juarez.

According to the resolution, with the exemption, EPISD will develop its own safety standards that it can meet.

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