ABILENE, Texas — Safety is at the top of the list for many school districts after the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. With recent tragedies in schools, some school districts are implementing additional safety measures to keep children safe.
Wylie ISD has been offering teachers training to enhance security. This allows teachers to carry a firearm and act with whatever force necessary during events like active shooter on campus.
“Unfortunately elementary children are as vulnerable as you can get,” Wylie Independent School District Superintendent of School Operations, Craig Bessent said.
Bessent says the district has been involved with the school marshal program since the Sandy Hook shooting in 2013. The program is voluntary for teachers and funded by the state.
“The school employees are able to become, go through a licensing and training by the state of Texas under the Texas commissioner law enforcement paid for by Gov. Abbott’s criminal justice department,” Bessent said.
Besides the school marshal program, Bessent says the district has one school resource officer provided by the Abilene Police Department. He says there is a great police presence at all times in all of the campuses to keep everyone safe.
“Teachers and parents are happy to know that there’s someone there always to protect their children whatever grade level when they let them off in the morning, when they pick them up in the afternoon,”
He says there is local control and the local school board is able to determine when and where teachers are allowed to carry a firearm on campus.