Lt. Governor Patrick donates metal detectors to Santa Fe ISD

HOUSTON, Texas (FOX 26) - In recent Santa Fe ISD school board meetings parents took to the podium asking the district to increase safety in anyway they can.

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick says, "there’s nothing more important than protecting the safety of our children in school, no child should go to school worrying about a shooter coming into the school".

Lt. Governor Patrick wants to help and says he and his wife will be donating ten metal detectors to Santa Fe ISD out of their own pockets and that the company he's working with, Garrett Metal Detectors, will also make a donation, perform security checks and training at no cost.

In a statement from Santa Fe assistant superintendent Patti Hanssard thanked the governor and said:

“If metal detectors are determined as a top priority for Santa Fe ISD, a company has volunteered to provide an assessment of Santa Fe High School to determine the equipment and training recommended to operate metal detectors at no cost to the District. The company will also provide a donation to Santa Fe ISD. The metal detectors could be installed and operational by the start of school in August.”

Lt. Governor Patrick says he wants to help out all Texas schools and plans to introduce legislation in the 2019 session that will create a match program so that all school districts have an opportunity to get metal detectors of handheld wands. Im thinking we will have a match at 50-50 or something near there so schools who want to do that now and by then once we pass that retroactively will come back and pay them whatever the matching program grant is”, says Lt. Governor Patrick.

In the future, Lt. Governor Patrick says he would also like to get the Senate and House to back a program that would pay for 100% percent of the costs so that all schools can have emergency push and close doors, so that kids can easily get out, but still have the doors lock when they leave.