Resident urges Cedar Hill ISD to use bond funds for weapon-detection scanners at campuses

A Cedar Hill resident urged the Board of Trustees to spend recently approved bond funds on weapon-detection scanners at middle and high schools, saying such systems are effective and less costly than the district's current security staffing levels.

Shirley Daniels, who identified herself as a Cedar Hill resident of more than 23 years, told trustees she has repeatedly raised school-safety measures and urged the board to install weapon-detection scanners at every middle school and high school. "We could use these funds that we passed the bond for to put in these weapon'detectors," Daniels said. She told trustees the scanners cost about "$2,500 per month per scanner" and said one nearby district, Mansfield, has used the technology effectively.

Daniels also cited national figures while arguing for a different allocation of safety spending: "In the past 6 years, from 2018 to 2024, there have been 1,453 school shootings in The United States," she said. She added that window film planned with bond funds would not address weapons brought into schools from inside campus and urged the board to prioritize detectors.

A district official clarified that window film and stationing officers are state-unfunded mandates, saying the requirement for police officers or armed guards at every facility is a state mandate. That official framed window film as a response to unfunded state requirements rather than an independent safety choice.

The public-comment period followed board instructions that complaints about specific student discipline or personnel must be handled through administrative channels and that the forum is governed by the Texas Open Meetings Act and board policy.

Trustees did not take formal action on the resident's request during the meeting; the comment was part of the citizens'forum.