SAN ANTONIO – School districts in Texas have two options when deciding whether to arm staff members. Below are the requirements for each plan:
| School Marshal Plan | Guardian Plan |
| Board of trustees appoints one or more specially trained and licensed employees as school marshals. | School board authorizes the designation of specified employees to carry firearms on school premises. |
| Allowed to carry a concealed handgun, unless their primary duty involves direct and regular contact with students. In that case, the school marshal must put the handgun in a locked and secured safe on school grounds and within their reach. | The school board defines the rules and training requirements. |
| Concealed handgun license required | Concealed handgun license required |
| Must be certified by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement | Nixon-Smiley CISD requires 80 hours of training and a psychological exam under this plan. |
| Pass a psychological exam |
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| 80 hours of TCOLE-approved instruction |
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Under both plans, the identities of the staff members who are chosen to be armed are confidential.
Here's what other school districts in the surrounding area are doing:
La Vernia ISD
“A decision we have immediately implemented is the naming of Josh Gutierrez, former Hearing and Truancy Officer, as our new Director of Safety and Security. In addition to being a licensed police officer for 17 years, Mr. Gutierrez has served as a criminal justice instructor, a school resource officer, and a campus administrator as an assistant principal. Because the protection of your children and our schools is our top priority, we are taking additional measures to ensure we are prepared to provide increased safety and security. We will continue to evaluate the options to improve in this area." – Trent Lovette, Superintendent
Jourdanton ISD
“We work closely with the Jourdanton Police Department and Jourdanton ISD also has a full time School Resource Officer (SRO) who is a member of the JPD. Atascosa County Sherriff’s Department is also in Jourdanton and only a few blocks north of the school. Through our partnerships, we work collaboratively with all law enforcement agencies in the area to provide a safe environment for our students and staff.” - Theresa McAllister, Superintendent
Stockdale ISD
“We are tasking a safety and security committee to take a look at our emergency operations plan that includes entertaining many safety strategies that includes, but is not limited to arming designated employees of the district.” – Daniel Fuller, Superintendent
Floresville ISD
The FISD School Board’s first priority is the safety of our students and staff. At a March School Board meeting, the Board considered all options made available by the Commissioner of Education, including allowing staff members to carry firearms. However, in light of the fact that we currently have four members of the Floresville ISD Police Department who carry a firearm on their person, it was decided not to pursue allowing other staff members that option at this time. The FISD School Board has authorized the hiring of two additional police officers for the 2018-19 school year, allowing every campus to have its own assigned officer.” – Kim Cathey, District Communications Specialist