DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) – More school resource officers will be coming to Dripping Springs ISD campuses.

Monday night, the school board decided to nearly double the district’s number of SROs.

According to the agenda item, DSISD currently has four SRO positions.

The school board voted to add three more.

The district said elementary campuses and the middle school share an SRO.

Parent’s perspectives

Dripping Springs ISD parent Teri Purdy said there’s not a day that goes by where safety isn’t on her mind.

“When we drop off our children, we’re leaving our hearts, you know, in those buildings,” Purdy said.

She has an elementary and middle school student with the district. Currently, their campuses don’t have a designated school resource officer because they are sharing one.

“Making sure that there are enough officers, that they don’t have to be running back and forth across town and making sure that they have coverage, you know, on both sides really would make a big difference,” Purdy said.

That’s why Purdy supports DSISD getting more SROs. She’s not alone.

Melody Benteler said her eldest will start Pre-K with the district next school year. She said there’s a safety issue with the current SRO situation.

“If you’ve got somebody traveling back and forth, you have one campus that doesn’t have their SRO there at the time,” Benteler said.

While she’s on board with getting more SROs, she said she’d also like for them to have mental health training as well.

“That sort of grief and trauma informed training would really make them exceptionally valuable and great at their jobs on our campuses,” Benteler said.

Purdy said additional SROs would provide much more coverage than they have right now.

“Having that law enforcement presence, that visible, you know, person in uniform that you know, is trained, and you know, armed to handle those situations is really I think one of the best things that the district can do to set parents minds at ease,” Purdy said.

What happens now?

The district said there will be one additional SRO starting in Fall 2023.

They’ll use the current supervisor to assist with coverage at the other two elementary schools until additional officers are hired and trained.