A tiny Texas school district may be the first in the nation to allow teachers and staff to pack heat, reports Fox News. The Harrold Independent School District said employees can carry concealed firearms to deter and protect against school shootings, provided the gun-toting teachers follow certain requirements. Superintendent David Thweatt cited assaults on employees, saying, “We are seeing a lot of anger in society.”
Staff members who want to carry pistols must have a Texas license to carry a concealed handgun; must be authorized to carry by the district; must receive training in crisis management and hostile situations and must use ammunition that is designed to minimize the risk of ricochet in school halls. Thweatt said the small community is a 30-minute drive from the sheriff’s office, leaving students and teachers without protection. The kindergarten through 12th grade school district is home to 110 students. Ken Trump, a Cleveland-based school security expert, said Harrold is the first district with such a policy.