Texas renews push for school marshal program

ROUND ROCK, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - More Texas school districts are expressing interest in a program to arm their employees following the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, according to the state's law enforcement licensing agency.

The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement School trains school marshals to intervene in the event of a shooting until police can arrive.

The agency held a demonstration of training educators go through as part of its 80-hour course, with an officer acting as a school shooter firing blanks into a school library as actors screamed.

Cullen Grissom, TCOLE's deputy chief, says not everyone is cut out to be a marshal. 

"We've had people confronted with that level of stress curl up in a fetal position and not respond," Grissom said.

The school marshal program began in 2013 in response to the school massacre in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, but has received relatively low interest since then. Just 5% of Texas school districts – 64 out of 1,207 – currently participate in the program.

After the Uvalde school shooting, Governor Greg Abbott sent a letter to the Texas Education Agency asking him to encourage more districts to enroll.

TCOLE says the agency is doubling the number of opportunities to train to be a marshals with four sessions offered this year.

Huffman ISD's superintendent is a marshal. 

"When we're going through trainings, there are emotions we have to learn to manage," said Dr. Benny Soileau. 

He believes the program allows staff to support police in the event of a shooting, but some education advocates say there's a reason enrollment remains low.

Texas AFT, the state's largest association of educators, says 77% of educators were against being armed when asked about the subject in a recent survey.

The group's legislative director says adequately funding education would be a better use of tax dollars and increase safety. 

"When teachers have smaller class sizes they can control their classrooms and they can get to know their students very well," said Patty Quinzi. "And [they] know what kind of problems, what kind of triggers are there before there's a larger issue."

A quarter of Texas districts opt to create their own police departments, while others contract school resource officers from nearby police departments. Those options are more expensive since they require the hiring of staff dedicated to full-time security. TCOLE says the school marshal program is more cost effective because it involves someone who is already a full-time employee.

TCOLE candidates must:

-Be employed by the school district

-Hold a valid LTC 

-Pass a psychological exam

-Complete 80 hours of TCOLE training

-Take 16 hours of training as continuing education every two years

Kelsy Mittauer also reported in this story.