New bill could offer a stipend to teachers, staff for choosing to be armed on campus
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) – For more than a decade, Texas has allowed teachers and staff to carry guns on campus. Several rural districts with limited police resources have been participating in this.
Now, a Texas bill is proposing giving those who take on this responsibility a stipend of up to $25,000. It was written in response to the school shooting in Uvalde that killed 19 students and two teachers.
Several years ago, Pilot Point ISD made the decision to arm teachers.
"This is a smaller community," Police Chief Brad Merritt said. "We don't have all the resources that the larger cities have with law enforcement. They needed the extra protection and felt it was a necessary addition."
Merritt says employees who are interested participate in what's known as the Defender Program.
"We chose that program because of the training," Merritt said. "It's very intense training. Interview process. Psychological interviews. Firearms training. Classroom training."
A new bill being considered by state lawmakers proposes Texas schools could offer stipends of up $25,000 to teachers or other staff members who opt to be armed on campus.
They would have to take mental health and firearms training, as well as first aid courses. They'd also learn how to spot signs of mental health issues.
"I like it," Merritt said. "A lot of districts aren't going to be able to pay stipends like that. I think you have to be careful when you get into paying stipends because then you get people into the program for the wrong reasons. They want to be incentivized."
It's something Dallas ISD's teachers union, Alliance AFT, agrees with.
"While that is a very enticing amount of money, some people I think would feel pressure because they need to make ends meet for their families and so it's important that we understand safety is priority," Alliance AFT President Rena Honea said."I don't think we'll see a lot of our educators taking up that offer."
"It's important we make selections based on the criteria that we have in place and then we throw the incentive on top of that," Merritt said.
This legislation has passed the State House with bipartisan support and now goes to the Senate.
