Changes are ahead at La Feria ISD after ending their contract with the city police department.

School district leaders say they hope to have their new police department up and running by the start of the next school year.

“We will have police officers, they will have all the equipment that they need,” La Feria ISD Assistant Superintendent Lillian Ramos said.

In the meantime, the district is hiring armed guards to patrol each campus until the campus police department is up and running.

District leaders are in the process of hiring a security director whose job will be to help create the district's police department.

Ramos says protecting students and staff is not only a part of her duties, it's also personal.

“I also have a student here at La Feria and I know he is in safe hands because we are doing everything possible to keep kids safe,” Ramos said.

The district hopes to have narrowed down their candidate field for security director by their next school board meeting.

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