By the start of the new school year, officials at Edcouch-Elsa Independent School District say students will be safer in the classroom.

The district approved new security measures last week, and they hope to have everything in place by the end of August.

One upgrade is the addition of new fences at all nine campuses. Currently, two elementary schools don't have any fencing.

The other seven campuses have fences, but only on certain areas of the school properties.

"The other campuses have fencing in the back or the sides, but they don't have fencing in the front, so we are going to install fencing in the front," EEISD Director of Safety and Security Raul Gonzalez said. "We've identified the exterior vulnerabilities that we have, and we are fixing them."

The district is also working on installing over 400 flip locks to every classroom.

They say locks will help stop intruders and the company that makes them claims they're 10-times stronger than a deadbolt.