HISD will increase the police presence in schools by about 10 percent to start 2006 as the district continues to educate more than 6,000 New Orleans area residents who fled Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina.
The total number of disciplinary incidents in HISD schools is actually down 12 percent compared to last year.
There have been about a dozen significant altercations between evacuees and regular Houston students, and Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra said he wants more police manpower in the schools to keep a watchful eye on the situation.
In addition to off-duty officers, HISD has coordinated with other local law enforcement agencies to increase patrols around some schools before and after school and during lunch time.
The police presence is being increased at Kashmere, Sterling, Jones, Lee, Madison, Westbury, Yates, Sharpstown, Scarborough and Westside high schools, and at Black, Dowling, Revere, Fondren, Long, Sharpstown, Westbriar and Welch middle schools.