Dallas City Wire

Parents in a Collin County city have taken it upon themselves to raise money for security at an elementary school. 

Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) ABC affiliate WFAA reported that the fundraiser seeks to install a school resource officer at George W. Bush Elementary School in Wylie, which is approximately 30 miles northeast of Dallas.

According to WFAA, safety grew to become a huge concern for Bush families following the events at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. 

An 18-year-old gunman allegedly shot 19 students and two teachers to death before U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) officers killed him. 

WFAA reported that while the Wylie and Sachse police departments patrol areas near Wylie Independent School District (WISD) elementary schools within their jurisdictions, Bush is located outside either city proper in unincorporated Collin County.

Per the station, even the Collin County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) doesn’t have deputies stationed on campus. 

“All you can think as a parent is what if they’re not there,” parent Brandon Sprinkel said in the report. 

He added that the Covenant School mass shooting in Tennessee in late March served as the catalyst for the fundraiser.

WFAA reported that the money raised goes toward the $60 per hour for an off-duty CCSO deputy tasked with on-campus patrols during the school day.

WISD gets the money, which, in turn, is paid to Collin County. 

A fundraising event was held on Friday in an effort to boost what’s already in the coffers.

One other Metroplex elementary school has security that’s privately funded. 

DFW NBC affiliate KXAS reported that parents pay off-duty Fort Worth police officers to roam the halls of Tanglewood Elementary School in the city’s largest public school district. 

"We've only gotten positive feedback, especially not just from the parents of the children, but also the staff," parent Amber Spurgeon told KXAS. "They feel safer coming to school every day and teaching, and knowing they don't have to look behind their back every day."