Some will be able to carry firearms in Lavernia ISD
The La Vernia Independent School District will allow some employees to carry guns on its campuses as way to defend against shootings.
The seven-member school board on Monday voted unanimously to implement the Texas School Guardian program, which would allow select staff members to carry concealed weapons at schools.
The Guardian program — created after the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood and run by the Texas Department of Public Safety — requires participating staff to pass a two-day class for certification.
Allowing guns at school under the program is meant to address concerns about “effective and timely response to emergency situations at a district school,” according to the proposal presented to the La Vernia ISD board. Scenarios mentioned include an armed outsider invading a school, someone holding hostages, and an armed student who “poses a direct threat of physical harm to himself, herself or others.”
Staff members who are authorized under the Guardian program are also required to complete specialized training in crisis intervention and management of hostage situations. Only district-approved ammunition will be allowed, and it must be unchambered to prevent accidental discharge.
Talks about implementing the Guardian program at La Vernia ISD started in December after Director of Safety and Security Mike Duffek told the board that there had been incidents of unwanted visitors trying to get onto school campuses.
Duffek created a safety committee consisting of law enforcement, school officials, parents and community members tasked with deciding whether the program would be beneficial to the district.
The committee surveyed school district staff, with 80 percent saying they supported the Guardian program. In a separate survey, 88 percent of community members and families also backed the program.
To be eligible for the program, staff members must undergo 20 hours of classroom training, complete 20 hours at a firing range, pass psychological exams, have a license to carry a firearm and submit to random drug tests.
Teachers in the program will be anonymous, and those whose identities are revealed will be removed for their protection.
Duffek said he hopes to conduct the training over the summer.