Report: North Texas school district to let staff carry guns

DENTON COUNTY, Texas – One North Texas school district has approved a plan that allows staff members to carry concealed firearms on the job, reports CBS DFW.

The Argyle Independent School District school board has reportedly approved the plan, dubbed the School Marshal Program, with word getting out on Wednesday, according to the station. Certain teachers and other staff must apply to carry concealed weapons.

Officials in the district cite the numerous mass shootings on public school campuses across the nation as a reason for the decision.

“I don’t know if it’s the answer, but it kind of stacks the deck in our favor, I feel like,” said Argyle school district parent Jordan Jackson.

“I feel the children would be safer if someone had a concealed handgun license and knew what they were doing,” said another parent, Dawn Conover.

CBS DFW reports that administrators for the four-school district have been working on an expansion of campus security for a year.

“Parents are concerned, teachers are worried, kids are worried… and this is one way to keep our kids safe,” said Greg Coker, a school security specialist who has trained specific employees on proper gun usage.

According to CBS DFW, all staff members who volunteer to carry a concealed weapon must be licensed gun carriers and must have completed a firearms and emergency response training course.

Both Argyle Superintendent Talena Wright and the president of the school board declined to discuss the new policy with the station.