HARROLD, Texas (AP) - A tiny Texas district will allow teachers and staff members to carry concealed firearms to deter and protect against school shootings when classes begin this month, provided the gun-toting employees follow certain requirements.

The small community of Harrold in north Texas is a 30-minute drive from the Wilbarger County Sheriff's Office, leaving students and teachers without protection, said David Thweatt, superintendent of the Harrold Independent School District. The lone campus of the 110-student district sits near a heavily traveled highway, which could make it a target, he argued.

"When the federal government started making schools gun-free zones, that's when all of these shootings started. Why would you put it out there that a group of people can't defend themselves? That's like saying 'sic 'em' to a dog," Thweatt said in a story published Friday on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Web site.

Barbara Williams, a spokeswoman for the Texas Association of School Boards, said her organization did not know of another district with such a policy. Ken Trump, a Cleveland-based school security expert who advises districts nationwide, said Harrold is the first district with such a policy.

Trustees approved the policy change last year. For employees to carry a pistol, they must have a Texas license to carry a concealed handgun; must be authorized to carry by the district; must receive training in crisis management and hostile situations; and must ammunition designed to minimize the risk of ricocheting bullets.

Officials researched the policy and considered other options for about a year before approving the policy change, Thweatt said. The district also has other measures in place to prevent a school shooting, he said.

"The naysayers think (a shooting) won't happen here. If something were to happen here, I'd much rather be calling a parent to tell them that their child is OK because we were able to protect them," Thweatt said.

Texas law outlaws firearms at schools unless specific institutions allow them.

It isn't clear how many of the 50 or so teachers and staff members will be armed this fall because Thweatt did not disclose that information, to keep it from students or potential attackers.

Any opinions ?

I think its great. I hope more states follow suit.
Joe

This goes along with what I've been discussing in my thread CCW and the Employer Thanks for posting it.

I got to admit though, I'm caught off gaurd by the fact that a board of education[employer] is allowing school teachers [employees] the rigth to have guns in the class room.

I'm also glad to see they are taking it a step further in training.
They must also receive training in crisis management and hostile situations.

Salute of the day goes to the Harrold Independent School District.

Harold ISD is all agriculture, ranch land , and some oil field community.

I heard there is another ISD (Petrolia) looking at doing the same.

Now if the media liberal will stay out the mix this will go just fine. But as all liberals they will want to tell others how to live their lives and show the rest of us they know best. So I expect the next thing is for the liberal media to tell the public how many teacher are carrying and which class room they teach in so the cowards will know which class rooms to stay away from, IDIOTS!! alll of them!!

I listen to Fox and Friends and the two females where worried that one of the kids may get to the firearm that the teachers were carrying, yet they don't think twice about putting their kids in a car and driving down the freeway at 80 mile an hour.

Dust54...That would be my concern too...Teenagers trying to guess what teacher is armed (Kids games)...And finding out because a teacher couldn't either keep his/her mouth shut or keep the firearm concealed well enough. Or attempting to locate and get control of said firearm (juvinile delinquent games)...

I am glad that some schools are finally "gettin' it" and eliminating some of the "gun free zones" to actually protect our kids "for the good of the kids". Will wait and see how this comes out and hope it goes well enough that other school systems will arm their teachers. And colleges and universities start letting the students (of age) carry concealed on campus.

I'll be curious to see what people start saying about armed teachers, etc. after the next terrorist attack we have.

I am with you on that Bushy!!

I am teaching my grandson (already taught my son) how to handle firearms and to protect himself. Will be teaching my granddaughter as soon as she is old enough to hold a pistol.

I taught public high school for 30 years and retired two years ago. I am in favor of this movement, but there needs to be a high degree of certainty that the teacher would run toward the shooting and not away from it. And possess the skills to handle a weapon, and God forbid, shoot, if need be. I wonder if the SOP would be to shoot to kill or shoot to wound.

There are many teachers with military experience, already trained in the use of firearms, who would be candidates to be an armed teacher. Fortunately, during the 30 years that I taught, I never was in a situation in which I should have been armed.

It is wrong to think that school shootings are the normal in today's society. However, I know they happen and think we should go to any height to protect our children, as well as, employees of the school.

I am a proud former paratrooper of the 82d Airborne Div (2/505) and would have said yes, if asked, to be an CCW teacher and prayed that I'd never have to use the rights the CCW afforded. I am and have been for 10 years a CCW permit carrier here in Ga.

Hack

Could attitudes be part of the problem?? Things have changed significantly

SCHOOL -- 1957 vs. 2007

Scenario: Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack.
1957 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2007 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario:
Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school..
1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2007 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.


Scenario:
Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students.
1957 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the Principal. Returns to class , sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2007 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.


Scenario:
Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2007 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.


Scenario:
Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957 - Mark shares aspirin with Principal out on the smoking dock.
2007 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario:
Pedro fails high school English.
1957 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.
2007 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Scenario:
Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.
1957 - Ants die.
2007- BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario:
Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.



Think about it!

Dust, those would be funny if they weren't so frighteningly true.

In one of my daughter's grade school classes there was an "emotionally disturbed" child who had NO business in the class. The teacher spent ALL day, EVERY day, attempting to control that one child. The child wasn't removed from the class because "it wouldn't be good for her." All of the rest of the kids in the class were assigned busy work to keep them quiet while the teacher dealt with the problem. Funny, I guess it was OK to deprive the other 30+ kids in the class of their education in order to keep the problem child from being "discriminated against".

Pumpkinslinger wrote:

Dust, those would be funny if they weren't so frighteningly true. In one of my daughter's grade school classes there was an "emotionally disturbed" child who had NO business in the class. The teacher spent ALL day, EVERY day, attempting to control that one child. The child wasn't removed from the class because "it wouldn't be good for her." All of the rest of the kids in the class were assigned busy work to keep them quiet while the teacher dealt with the problem. Funny, I guess it was OK to deprive the other 30+ kids in the class of their education in order to keep the problem child from being "discriminated against".

When I taught I didn't ignore the special needs child. But, a long ago I came to realize that special needs kids are not the future leaders, teachers, doctors, nurses, judges, engineers, architects, etc.

So if I had 1 minute of free time, so to speak, and 2 students, one gifted student and one special needs student, I guess its not hard to figure out who got my 1 free minute.

Forsaking 30 for the sake of one, never did set well with me - could I have been wrong?

Hack

Hack, seems to me that 30+ kids who COULD benefit were sacrificed for one who MIGHT benefit. Pretty poor exchange in my opinion.