AUSTIN, Texas — When a call goes out about an armed threat on a school campus, every second counts. But in many Texas districts, one officer might be responsible for covering two or even three schools. An Austin-based company says it might have a tool to help buy those crucial seconds — and maybe even save lives.
Campus Guardian Angel, a Texas startup, is pitching camera- and speaker-equipped drones as a school safety solution — especially for districts struggling to meet the state mandate requiring an armed officer on every campus, Houston Public Media reports.
During a demonstration on April 14 at University Park Elementary in Highland Park Independent School District (ISD), the company flew three of its drones through the halls. They’re remote-piloted, respond within seconds and are designed to locate and distract a shooter until officers arrive.
Mark Rowden, Highland Park ISD’s police chief, requested the demo and said the drones could help officers make more informed tactical decisions in real time.
“[It] gives us situational awareness, so far as what we’ve got and what we’re going to encounter, that, in what we do, is absolutely imperative,” Rowden said, as reported by Houston Public Media.
Since House Bill 3 took effect in 2023, requiring an armed officer on every Texas school campus, more than half of the state’s districts have filed for “good cause” exemptions. They cite difficulties finding qualified officers and funding full-time roles.
That’s where Campus Guardian Angel says it can help. Its drones cost $15,000 for a set of six, plus $4 per student — more cost-effective than hiring multiple full-time officers with benefits.
Justin Marston, the company’s co-founder, told state lawmakers the goal is to close the gap between when a threat is identified and when law enforcement can engage.
“If a shooter walks into a school that we’re defending,” he said, “our goals are to respond in 5 seconds, confront the shooter in 15 seconds, then degrade or incapacitate the shooter in 60 seconds.”
Each drone is stored on campus in a charging box and launched remotely by trained operators once a school official triggers an alert, Houston Public Media reports. The drones carry several non-lethal deterrents, including a loud “flash crack” distraction device, pepper spray, and — if needed — kinetic force.
“If you get hit at 60 to 70 miles an hour by a drone, it is less lethal, but it will cause significant injury,” Marston said. “We would send multiple waves of those until the person is incapacitated or law enforcement arrives.”
The system has already been tested in Boerne ISD, where Security Chief Rick Goodrich said the drones could be a force multiplier — especially in districts where coverage is stretched thin, according to Houston Public Media.
“Because they’re stationed at the incident site, there’s no ramp-up time. They immediately deploy and can provide real-time intelligence on what is happening at the crisis site, while first responders are en route. And that’s a game changer,” Goodrich told DroneLife.
A new bill, House Bill 462, could increase funding for campus safety and make “remote-human-operated aerial devices” an approved tool for meeting state requirements, according to Houston Public Media. It hasn’t yet received a committee hearing.
Sen. Royce West of Dallas said the CGA presentation had “caught the attention of everyone in this room.” When asked if he’d demo the drones elsewhere, Marston replied, “We’ll do it in any school you want us to.”
