10-29-2024 6:23am

A Fredericksburg Texas School System is Allowing Teachers with Guns Could Alamogordo Public Schools Be Next?

Chris Edwards Editor

The Fredericksburg ISD board OK'd the plan as an option for teachers who already have a concealed carry permit and undergo a screening process then carry in the classroom? In Otero County New Mexico one sees open carry in fast food restaurants and around the city. A school board was elected that referrences practices of systems in Oklahoma and Texas. Could APS consider such a tactic?

Let's look further at the Texas Department example...

Fredericksburg Independent School District officials have approved a program that allows some teachers to carry concealed firearms at school, with a district spokesperson saying the plan could provide an additional layer of campus security.

Fredericksburg ISD trustees voted last month to authorize district teachers to apply to carry concealed firearms in classrooms, if they meet certain criteria and pass a screening process.

The school district is already in compliance with state law that requires an armed police officer or guard on each campus. APS has armed police on campus at the high school and random other schools in a similar manner.

The San Antonio Express News reports the main reason that we wanted to start allowing teachers or staff to apply to carry firearms is the safety and security of our staff and students,” district spokesperson Rachel Malinak told the Express-News. “It is our main priority.”

Fredericksburg ISD has one school resource officer — a law enforcement officer working at a school — covering the district's six campuses and 3,000 students. However, each campus has armed security and the district has a “very good relationship with local law enforcement," Malinak said.

The district confirmed some teachers applied for the program, were approved by the school board and "completed all required initial training," but declined to say how many met those requirements. The district did not say how many, if any, are currently carrying a weapon while on campus.

In the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas lawmakers in 2023 passed a measure requiring all school campuses to have armed security present during regular school hours. The law allows districts to comply by hiring a school marshal, which is a trained security guard licensed by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.

Fredericksburg ISD's new program will operate under the Texas Guardian program, which allows employees of a school district to carry a weapon after receiving training from an instructor certified by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The Texas State Teachers Association — one of the biggest teachers unions in the state — doesn't support the idea of teachers carrying guns in the classroom, spokesperson Clay Robison said.

Robison said while some teachers disagree with the union's stance, most of his association's members are opposed to allowing teachers to be armed on campus.

An APS public school official said "the board has not yet considered any such policies however there is always constant debate on protections for students as safety is top of mind daily."

Could APS follow a similar measure or should it for consideration? A public debate is sure to happen as more neighboring state school systems consider such actions.