Waxahachie ISD details expanded campus security, armed marshals and large-scale drills

Waxahachie — At a spring town hall meeting, acting Superintendent David Abert and Waxahachie Police Chief Joe Weiser outlined the district’s current safety measures, saying Waxahachie Independent School District maintains sworn school resource officers at secondary campuses, a 27-person school marshal program that can openly carry under a recent attorney general opinion, and recurring large-scale drills involving law enforcement, fire and EMS.

The officials said those measures are backed by regular training, technology-sharing with the city and an anonymous tip system. “We feel like our, our forces have grown exponentially with having those marshals out there,” Chief Joe Weiser said, describing the change after the attorney general opinion that allowed school marshals to carry openly. The district said marshals and law-enforcement partners completed intensive training to adapt to new equipment and outward carry.

The changes matter because district leaders said they expand on-campus capacity to respond to active threats and to manage the aftermath—triage, transport and reunification—if an incident occurs. The district highlighted recent full-scale active‑shooter exercises and reunification drills that included hospitals and ambulance crews.

District officials said Waxahachie ISD employs six sworn school resource officers (SROs) who are city police officers assigned to campuses, and 27 armed school marshals, at least one at every campus with additional marshals assigned to large high‑school sites. “School resource officers are sworn police officers who are employed by the city of Waxahachie, and they’re attached to the school district through our partnership,” Chief Weiser said. Lieutenant Chris Dickinson oversees the SRO program, and administrators emphasized that SROs also build daily relationships with students.

Officials described training and equipment changes after the attorney general opinion permitted outward carry. Chief Weiser said the district and city provided new equipment and training; Waxahachie PD provided the instruction. A training figure cited in the meeting was 80 hours of total training for marshals on weapon familiarity and retention.

Emergency management director Thomas Griffith said the district uses real‑world incidents to shape training. “It’s our job to kinda plan for the worst case scenario,” Griffith said, citing Uvalde as one of the events used to inform planning. Griffith described a progression of exercises ranging from tabletop reviews to full‑scale exercises that included law enforcement, fire, EMS, school staff and hospital partners. The district said it has performed multiple reunification drills and that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has conducted district vulnerability audits; administrators said recent TEA audits produced no findings.

Officials also described preventive measures: random metal‑detector searches, a TIP 411 anonymous reporting line for students, parents and community members, and shared IT services between the city and district to investigate online threats. Lieutenant Dickinson warned about the spread of hoaxes on social media and the legal consequences of resharing threatening posts: “By sharing it, it’s now they’ve committed a criminal offense,” he said, adding that the department will pursue charges when appropriate.

District leaders urged families to use the district’s communication channels and TIP 411 to report suspicious behavior. Officials said they prefer that students or witnesses contact school staff or law enforcement first rather than circulating posts that could escalate into broader panic.

The town hall included an offer for continued community engagement; Abert closed by thanking the public and inviting attendance at another town hall next Tuesday at the same time and place.