Texas Schools Turn to Drones for Faster Security Response
On May 24, 2022, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos entered his former school, Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. What followed was a tragic mass shooting that claimed the lives of 19 students and 2 teachers and injured 17 others. In response to the deadly attack, Texas lawmakers came together to implement safer regulations for the state’s schools. Shortly thereafter, Texas House Bill 3 was passed. Along with revised emergency preparedness plans, the bill requires all Texas public schools to employ at least one armed officer to be present on each school campus.
Taking into consideration the cost such a mandate could impose on some school districts, House Bill 3 allows district representatives to present evidence of good cause for exemption—such as lacking the financial resources to employ an armed officer. As of early February 2025, an estimated 1,200 school districts in Texas had yet to comply with the armed officer provision of House Bill 3.
Around the same time the bill was passed, Texas technology entrepreneur Justin Martson was struck by the advantages drones were providing Ukrainian soldiers in the war against Russia. He realized that low-cost, remotely operated drones placed throughout school buildings could be vital assets in responding to threats and filling existing gaps in school security.
He contacted Bill King, a retired SEAL Team leader with 32 years of experience, to advise him on developing a “drone-in-a-box” school security system. “We then scheduled a technology demonstration at the Rosedale School Active Shooter Training Site in Austin,” the company’s website states, “and recruited some of the best drone pilots in the country to fly against former elite special forces threat actors.” The drone demonstration was a success, leading Justin and Bill to found Campus Guardian Angel—a company that installs drone security systems in school buildings, operated remotely by highly trained and licensed drone pilots.
The drones are custom-made by Campus Guardian Angel to meet the unique challenges of operating in indoor school environments. They are housed in protective boxes that keep them safe, charged, and ready to deploy. Each drone is equipped with cameras, a microphone and speaker, pepper spray, stun devices, and a kinetic energy strike mechanism. Justin explains that as soon as a threat is recognized, the drones are remotely activated by pilots with expertise in FPV (First Person View) racing and security missions. The drones can respond within five seconds, confront the threat within fifteen seconds, and neutralize the threat within sixty seconds.
This process provides ground officers with crucial time to respond, minimizing the risk to students and staff. Additionally, the Campus Guardian Angel drone system helps address false alarms—common in schools across the United States—which can disrupt instruction for hours and cost districts millions of dollars annually. “Our central team, having a fused sensor picture (video cameras, other sensors as deployed) of what’s happening in the school, reduces the pressure during room-clearing operations,” the company’s website explains. “Also, our drones can clear more quickly and more safely than requiring armed officers brandishing guns to move through every room of the school.”
Currently, House Bill 3 provides approximately $10 per student to meet its requirements. However, because these requirements include far more than just the hiring of armed guards, many districts are struggling to meet the standard. The state is in the process of approving amendments to House Bill 3 through Senate Bill 1262, but that takes time. When a school is under threat, every second counts. At an average cost of $4 per student, Campus Guardian Angel’s drone system makes the most of every one of those seconds.
Campus Guardian Angel recently testified in support of SB 1262, a measure that, if passed, could redefine how students in Texas and across the United States experience safe learning environments. As schools continue to search for effective, affordable, and innovative ways to protect students and staff, solutions like Campus Guardian Angel’s drone system represent a shift in how we approach campus safety. By combining cutting-edge technology with rapid response capabilities, this system may not only bridge the gap left by current limitations in security personnel but also pave the way for a new standard in school protection.
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