Perry signs 'school marshal' bill; RGV districts to opt out
Jacob Fischler, The Monitor
Gov. Rick Perry signed a bill Saturday that will allow teachers and other school district employees to carry guns inside schools.
The Protection of Texas Children Act — which will become law Sept. 1 — will give school districts statewide the option of designating one employee per 400 students as a “school marshal.” School marshals will be anonymous and plain-clothed employees carrying concealed firearms whose identities will not be subject to Freedom of Information Act requests. They are meant to be a line of defense in the case of a school shooting incident like the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut last December.
Currently, Texas school districts have the options of requesting uniformed peace officers be assigned to campuses, allowing school employees with concealed handgun licenses to bring their guns to school, or having no formal security policy.
“This is another option on the table,” said Brittany Eck, the chief of staff for state Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas, who authored the bill. The law will allow districts the choice to participate or not.
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