How one Texas school is spending safety money

A suburban Texas college district spent practically $250,000 on bullet-resistant movie on the home windows of its elementary and center colleges lately, per invoices obtained by Axios Austin by way of an open data request.

Why it issues: The invoices from the Spherical Rock Unbiased College District are a window into how a lot colleges nationally are spending on security measures after a spate of shootings.

• The seller was Atlanta-based Nationwide Glazing Options.

What they’re saying: “In a world stuffed with college shootings, riots, looting, and pure disasters, defending folks and property is paramount,” reads the corporate’s gross sales literature. “Colleges should determine and enhance the primary traces of protection, beginning with probably the most susceptible spots: glass home windows and doorways.”

• The (terrifying) particulars: “Whether or not from a bomb blast, windstorm, gunshot, or human affect, glass will shatter with the correct quantity of pressure. This shattering creates ‘spall:’ flying items of glass that may trigger nice hurt to anybody close by. Serving as a containment system, safety window movie prevents spall from changing into dangerous projectiles flying by way of the air.”

Between the traces: College security has change into massive enterprise.

• The protection glass set up was paid for with state cash put aside in 2019 after the Santa Fe shootings — and NGS has a web site instructing potential prospects on how they’ll apply for the cash.
• “Texas, we’re right here to guard your colleges,” reads the corporate web site.

The underside line: “We should proceed to stay vigilant, and to proceed to organize and implement the mandatory security procedures to maintain our colleges protected for our college students, employees and group,” Spherical Rock ISD superintendent Hafedh Azaiez wrote to folks in Might, following the Uvalde taking pictures.