Houston Chronicle by Jacob Carpenter, Dug Begley and Emily Foxhall 2/23/2018
Nearly one in seven school districts across Texas allow teachers and some staff to carry concealed weapons on campus, a new role for educators that has come amid a rash of school shootings and concerns about student safety.
The policies - adopted in recent years in mostly rural areas where law enforcement officials are not routinely on campus - position trained teachers, administrators and staff members to respond immediately to active shooter situations.
The setup mirrors President Donald Trump's call Friday for more school employees to carry weapons after a gunman killed 14 students and three adults at a Florida high school on Feb. 14.
"We think it has worked in Texas," said state Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas, who drafted a law that allowed the use of armed "school marshals" after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut in 2012 that left 26 people dead.
"It will continue to work in Texas as we expand it," he said.
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