How Texas laws arm public school teachers
After the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, killed 20 students and six educators, Texas enacted the Protection of Texas Children Act.
The law, effective June 14, 2013, allows school districts to arm school employees and created an additional category of a certified peace officer known as a "school marshal" who can conceal carry a handgun.
Here are some requirements within the Texas Education Code relating to school marshals:
Districts can appoint one marshal per 200 students at a campus or one marshal per building in which students received regular instruction.
Before becoming a marshal the employee must undergo a psychological exam. The law also requires 80 hours of specialized training. The instruction includes how to prevent school shootings and keep potential victims safe, the use of deadly force, handgun training and other peace officer duties.
ARE GUNS IN CLASSROOMS
Under the law, if the primary duty of the school marshal involves "regular, direct contact with students" the marshal cannot carry the handgun but may have it "in a locked and secured safe" within the marshal's immediate reach.
WHEN WEAPON CAN BE ACCESSED
A school marshal may only access a handgun under circumstances that would justify the use of deadly force under the penal code.
Some districts have opted to use a what's been dubbed the "Guardian Plan," which allows school boards to consider authorizing greater access to firearms on campuses.
Under the Guardian Plan, a district can grant anyone, including employees, permission to carry firearms on campuses through a contract.
The Texas Association of School Board has cautioned districts to take environmental factors, such as distance from first responding agencies, into account when considering such plans because of the liability risks.
That distance is exactly what prompted Christoval Independent School District to arm its staff in 2013.
Christoval, a town of about 500 people, is 20 miles from San Angelo and emergency response times can be anywhere from 12-18 minutes, officials said.
A Texas Education Agency spokeswoman said they don't track how many districts use school marshals.