SAN ANGELO, Texas - A small school district in central Texas has approved a measure to allow qualified school employees to carry handguns on campus. Christoval Independent's School District's board approved the "Guardian Plan" earlier this week.
"Guardians" will be allowed to carry handguns after getting a concealed handgun license and receiving approval from the school board.
The district made a push for this plan because the school is located in a country area, far away from law enforcement.
“I think this is one of many considerations when you’re looking at additional safety with these kids,” said board president Duff Hallman. “Unfortunately, when you look at statistics of the average times these things take place versus response time, it’s difficult to look at this and not give it serious consideration.”
Superintendent David Walker said law enforcement’s response time to incidents in Christoval is 12 to 18 minutes, longer than the time it takes for a tragedy the magnitude Sandy Hook to transpire. A gunman killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in New Jersey on Dec. 14.
“Unfortunately, we're in an environment right now where we're going to have to take these types of measures,” said Walker. “Whether it's reinforcing a door, adding a fence, adding surveillance, or arming an employee, today that's the world that we live in.”
Teachers allowed to carry are not identified.
“Part of the advanced training deals with hostage situations, crisis intervention, armed intruders,” Walker said. “Then advanced training on the various aspects of firearms like accuracy and precision, weapons malfunction, and the daily use as far as being a guardian.”
