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As a 4th year educator and future principal, it is my duty to protect my students and all students on campus. There has been a lot of debate about whether or not guns should be allowed on campus. In my opinion, I think it can be a great tool if administrators and educators are properly trained by professionals.
My audience is administrators and school board members. I believe that every school district should look into a guardian program that allows trained educators and administrators to conceal carry on campuses.
I chose this topic because the Uvalde school shooting really hit home. I know one of the teachers that worked at that school and just talking to them about the whole situation was and still is heartbreaking. I have grown up around firearms all my life and they are very safe tools if used properly, just like a hammer and drill. The most important part is proper training. You cannot let just anyone on campus carry, they must have proper training.

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I interviewed the high school principal about campus carry and he highly favored it. We are starting a guardian program this coming school year, and have had very in-depth training on handling different situations. He talked about the need for it and how society has changed in the recent past. He also talked a little bit about parents home-schooling their children due to the fact that they do not feel safe anymore.
I believe the biggest emerging issue is how schools' safety responds to the Uvalde shooting. I think schools need to be cautious and not rush into something, like allowing any school personnel to campus carry. Everyone should be required to have all of the proper training that is needed to effectively campus carry. More and more schools are cracking down on school safety, and campus carry is one of those tools being used.
Bryan Green
High School Principal
Winters ISD

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School shootings: What we know, what we can do. ASCD. (2019, October 1). Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/school-shootings-what-we-know-what-we-can-do

https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/school-shootings-what-we-know-what-we-can-do

The article talked about the data involved with school shootings and how often they actually occur. It also talked about steps we can take to identifying safety problems.

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Vol. 77

No. 2

Abstract

What Do We Know, What Can We Do?

How Often Do School Shootings Happen?

Can We Predict "Who"?

We Can't Predict When, But ...

... We Can Evaluate Threats and Choose Safe Responses

How Can We Make Schools Safer?

School shootings are difficult to predict, but educators aren't powerless to prevent such tragedies.

Social-emotional learning

Abstract

What Do We Know, What Can We Do?

How Often Do School Shootings Happen?

Can We Predict "Who"?

We Can't Predict When, But ...

... We Can Evaluate Threats and Choose Safe Responses

How Can We Make Schools Safer?

It's hard to imagine anything more devastating than a deadly shooting at a school. The setting (often thought of as among the safest places in our communities) and the ages of both victims and perpetrators are particularly troubling. The intense media coverage that typically follows a school shooting reinforces how disturbing such events are.

As anyone who's been even tangentially involved with the follow-up of a school shooting knows, reactions to this kind of tragedy aren't uniform and involve as many questions as answers. The aftermath of a school shooting is exceptionally difficult to process-for survivors, of course, and also for classmates, friends and family of victims and survivors, educators, and policymakers. People struggle to find answers to fundamental but complex questions. Why did this happen? Did anyone see it coming? What is it about the perpetrator that we all missed, or failed to respond to properly? In essence, people want to know, could we have predicted-and thus prevented-this shooting from happening?

As educators with expertise in special education and students with emotional and behavioral disorders, we help teachers work with students who show challenging behavior, including behavior that is threatening or violent. We often hear questions like those just mentioned. There are no easy answers, of course, but examining facts about school shootings, as well as research on school-based practices that can help young people at risk of developing antisocial or violent behavior, can give us insight.

So let's consider what we can and can't know about how often school shootings happen, whether we can predict who will become a school shooter or when such a tragedy might unfold, and how we can make schools even safer.

What Do We Know, What Can We Do?

How Often Do School Shootings Happen?

Data on school shootings are limited (thankfully) because despite prominent media coverage, school shootings remain relatively rare occurrences. Although extensive media coverage and conversations with colleagues down the hallway give rise to fears that U.S. schools are experiencing a widespread epidemic of mass violence, school shootings are actually extremely infrequent, especially compared to other forms of danger for children. While acknowledging that even one school shooting is too many, it's good to remember that schools are still almost certainly the safest places in which many of our children spend time.

Consider that, on average, 1,300 children aged 1-17 died from gunshot wounds in the United States each year between 2002 and 2014 (Fowler et al., 2017). In contrast, shootings in school settings accounted for 117 fatalities in total from 2000 to 2014-less than 10 per year (Blair & Schweit, 2014). This suggests that children are more than 130 times more likely to be victims of gun violence outside of school than inside school. To emphasize this point, Dewey Cornell, whose model of threat assessment is widely used in the United States, suggested in testimony to Congress that "the average school will have a student homicide every 6,000 years" (Cornell & Datta, 2016, p. 364).

It's important for school leaders to consider the likelihood of a school shooting when making decisions about the effort, time, and resources to devote to prevention. For example, efforts toward monitoring the severity of threats (such as formalizing threat-assessment protocols) and providing social and behavioral supports to students who need them may well be better uses of resources than more extreme, expensive measures like installing bulletproof glass or instituting active shooter drills. Emphasizing the positive social and emotional development of all students may in the long run be a more effective means of reducing school violence of all forms.

Can We Predict "Who"?

One way to look at possibilities for prediction is to consider whether students from a certain group, or youth with particular social, emotional, or behavioral characteristics may be more likely to become school shooters. People want to know if there is a profile of the typical school shooter. After many shootings, the perpetrator's mental health status or special education status are questioned as possible indicators of their potential to do harm. For example, in the case of the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, the worst school shooting in U.S. history, significant media attention focused on the suggestion that the perpetrator was, or might have been, diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

When we talk with teachers about school shootings, we are inundated with questions specific to students with emotional and behavioral disorders, probably because making threats is characteristic of these learners. In essence, special educators (and many general educators) want to know if they are at an increased risk of having a student carry out an act of extreme violence because they teach students more likely to make such threats (Kaplan & Cornell, 2005). Teachers may even have specific students in mind.

In truth, data on school shooters point only to broad generalizations that provide little help in predicting who will carry out a mass school shooting (Silver, Simons, & Craun, 2018; Vossekuil et al., 2002). For example, most school shooters are white male adolescents or preadolescents. Most had academic and behavioral histories that weren't particularly unusual, were relatively successful in school, and had at least some friends or were part of a social group (they weren't loners or complete outcasts). Obviously, this "profile" describes a huge subset of the school population, the majority of whom will never commit any act of violence, let alone a shooting. For these reasons, various authorities, including the FBI and U.S. Secret Service, have strongly advised against using profiling as a means of prevention (National Threat Assessment Center, 2018; Silver, Simons, & Craun, 2018; Vossekuil et al., 2002).

A related question we hear as we train teachers in responding successfully to students' behaviors is how to handle verbal aggression, specifically how to respond to threats of violence that could lead to harmful acts. In an era of zero tolerance, suspension or expulsion has gained popularity as a first response to such threats. However, as we often tell educators, zero tolerance approaches frequently do more harm than good. They can further alienate students, increase the risk of undesirable outcomes (like more misbehavior or juvenile justice involvement), and damage the overall school climate (Skiba, Arredondo, & Williams, 2014).

Removal from the classroom may be especially problematic for students with disabilities (whether the disability has been identified or not), especially those whose behavior often includes verbal aggression. In such cases, these students lose valuable instructional time. And if they're removed from school entirely, they'll undoubtedly be in less structured places, which creates opportunities for even greater problems. Finally, temporarily removing a student from the classroom or from school may reinforce the very behavior we hope to prevent; the student may learn that to escape from a class or school demand they find intolerable, they just need to act out in a potentially violent manner.

We Can't Predict When, But ...

Being able to predict precisely when a shooting might occur-such as the specific date or time, or following some specific behavior-would dramatically improve our efforts to keep schools safe. But again, this isn't possible at present. There aren't enough data to allow us to see patterns or pathways that reliably predict when individual shootings will occur.

Ironically, we do know that threats of school shooting are relatively common in many settings. Most of us who've been teachers know firsthand that threats of extreme violence ("I should blow up this school") aren't at all unusual, especially from students with difficulties regulating their emotional and behavioral responses. The vast majority of such threats are never carried out, making even a clearly communicated threat an unreliable predictor on its own of an eventual incident.

... We Can Evaluate Threats and Choose Safe Responses

This doesn't mean there is no hope for preventing shootings, however. There's an important distinction to be made between the struggle to predict a specific shooting versus our ability to assess threats of school shootings so we can know which ones are most serious and take steps to address them.

The infrequency of school shootings doesn't diminish the difficulty teachers face when they hear or see a student make a threat. Although data show that most threats don't ultimately result in action, educators shoulder a sobering responsibility in having to make decisions about individual threats. The potential consequences of judging a threat incorrectly seem overwhelming. After all, one commonality in past school shootings is that, in many cases, the perpetrator shared his plans with someone prior to the event; that is, the threat became known and wasn't sufficiently attended to (NTAC, 2018; Vossekuil et al., 2002).

Nonetheless, educators' reactions need to be tempered and data-based. There are dangers in both over- and underreacting. One way to respond prudently to a student threat is for a designated team to carry out a threat assessment (Cornell, 2018), a procedure that lets educators take all student threats of violence seriously by evaluating whether the student actually poses a real threat. With a threat assessment, a school-based team of professionals with various expertise (such as school psychologists, administrators, and law enforcement officers) evaluates the nature of the threat, asking the student key questions and probing his or her access to, or means to obtain, a weapon.

This approach distinguishes between transient and substantive threats. A transient threat is a statement or action that doesn't involve a "lasting intent to harm someone" (Cornell, 2018, p. 20). For example, if an agitated student suddenly says, "I'd like to nuke this place!" this is likely a transient threat. Such threats are often followed by an apology or retraction. A substantive threat is more serious and more likely to be carried out. It may include specifics about the place, weapon, or victims of choice (Cornell, 2018). 1

Through a threat assessment, school faculty can determine the likelihood that any threat will evolve into action-and respond appropriately to ensure everyone's safety. Adults can also help the threat-making student develop skills to solve the underlying problems that triggered their behavior, through arranging for counseling or mentoring, for instance.

How Can We Make Schools Safer?

This question doesn't have a simple answer. If by a safe school we mean a school relatively free of intrusions or attacks, the fact is that most schools are already remarkably safe places for children to spend time. However, school safety can also refer to many other issues. The likelihood of verbal, physical, or sexual assault or bullying, and the overall school climate that educators create, all contribute to the extent to which students feel secure.

Our most productive efforts toward making such shootings even rarer, and making schools safer in general, almost certainly involve moving away from zero tolerance approaches and toward implementing threat assessment as common practice. Whereas zero tolerance offers a one-size-fits-all, reactionary approach to responding to threats of violence, threat assessment enables school leaders to make systematic decisions about the nature of a threat while accounting for unique situations (such as the disability status of the student or access to firearms) in ways that can lessen the possibility of violence. Additionally, this process doesn't stop at the evaluation. Threat-assessment teams address the underlying problems behind a student's frightening words, providing layers of support that improve that student's ability to solve interpersonal problems and successfully participate in school.

Like high-quality instruction, feeling safe is a prerequisite for learning. Although educators can't pinpoint when an act like a school shooting will occur (or who might carry one out), we can responsibly assess threats that surface and provide support to ensure that students remain as safe as possible.

References

National Threat Assessment Center. (2018). Enhancing school safety using a threat assessment model: An operational guide for preventing targeted school violence. U.S. Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security.

Silver, J., Simons, A., & Craun, S. (2018). A study of the pre-attack behaviors of active shooters in the United States between 2000-2013., Washington, D.C.: Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice.

Vossekuil, B., Fein, R., Reddy, M., Borum, R., & Modzeleski, W. (2002). The final report and findings of the Safe School Initiative. U.S. Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and U.S. Secret Service. Washington, D.C.: National Threat Assessment Center.

End Notes

1 Since no school shooting can occur without access to guns, a tipping point in deciding whether a threat of a school shooting is substantive involves determining whether the student has access to firearms.

ASCD is a community dedicated to educators' professional growth and well-being.

Let us help you put your vision into action.

ASCD empowers educators to achieve excellence in learning, teaching, and leading so that every child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.

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School Shootings: What We Know, What We Can Do - ASCD

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Vol. 77 No. 2 Abstract What Do We Know, What Can We Do? How Often Do School Shootings Happen? Can We Predict "Who"? We Can't Predict When, But ... ... We Can Evaluate Threats and Choose Safe Responses How Can We Make Schools Safer?

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Navarra, K. (2021, December 23). Challenges persist in assessing, responding to threats against schools. K12dive.com. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://www.k12dive.com/news/challenges-persist-in-assessing-responding-to-threats-against-schools/616538/

https://www.k12dive.com/news/challenges-persist-in-assessing-responding-to-threats-against-schools/616538/

The article talked about threats being on the rise and finding a more effective way to deal with them. It also talked about equipping teachers with the proper knowledge and training for dealing with these situations.

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Challenges persist in assessing, responding to threats against schools

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Acts of violence against schools often happen after multiple red flags slip through the cracks, and threat assessment practices remain a topic of debate.

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Gewertz, C. (2022, July 14). How Texas trains teachers to carry guns. Education Week. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://www.edweek.org/leadership/how-texas-trains-teachers-to-carry-guns/2022/07

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/how-texas-trains-teachers-to-carry-guns/2022/07

This article talked about how Texas is training teachers in the school marshal program. It talks about the need for it and how it benefits schools. It also talks about the length of the training and the requirements.

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Emily Donaldson, The Dallas Morning News

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Since the school shooting in Uvalde, the state agency overseeing the school marshal program is urging more districts to arm educators.

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Constitutional Law
Sec. 46.03.  PLACES WEAPONS PROHIBITED.(a)  A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly possesses or goes with a firearm, location-restricted knife, club, or prohibited weapon listed in Section 46.05(a):(1)  on the physical premises of a school or educational institution, any grounds or building on which an activity sponsored by a school or educational institution is being conducted, or a passenger transportation vehicle of a school or educational institution, whether the school or educational institution is public or private, unless:(A)  pursuant to written regulations or written authorization of the institution; or(B)  the person possesses or goes with a concealed handgun that the person is licensed to carry under Subchapter H, Chapter 411

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Statutory Law

Sec. 411.2031.  CARRYING OF HANDGUNS BY LICENSE HOLDERS ON CERTAIN CAMPUSES.  (a)  For purposes of this section:(1)  "Campus" means all land and buildings owned or leased by an institution of higher education or private or independent institution of higher education.(2)  "Institution of higher education" and "private or independent institution of higher education" have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003, Education Code.(3)  "Premises" has the meaning assigned by Section 46.03, Penal Code.(b)  A license holder may carry a concealed handgun on or about the license holder's person while the license holder is on the campus of an institution of higher education or private or independent institution of higher education in this state.(c)  Except as provided by Subsection (d), (d-1), or (e), an institution of higher education or private or independent institution of higher education in this state may not adopt any rule, regulation, or other provision prohibiting license holders from carrying handguns on the campus of the institution.(d)  An institution of higher education or private or independent institution of higher education in this state may establish rules, regulations, or other provisions concerning the storage of handguns in dormitories or other residential facilities that are owned or leased and operated by the institution and located on the campus of the institution.(d-1)  After consulting with students, staff, and faculty of the institution regarding the nature of the student population, specific safety considerations, and the uniqueness of the campus environment, the president or other chief executive officer of an institution of higher education in this state shall establish reasonable rules, regulations, or other provisions regarding the carrying of concealed handguns by license holders on the campus of the institution or on premises located on the campus of the institution.  The president or officer may not establish provisions that generally prohibit or have the effect of generally prohibiting license holders from carrying concealed handguns on the campus of the institution.  The president or officer may amend the provisions as necessary for campus safety.  The provisions take effect as determined by the president or officer unless subsequently amended by the board of regents or other governing board under Subsection (d-2).  The institution must give effective notice under Section 30.06, Penal Code, with respect to any portion of a premises on which license holders may not carry. (d-2)  Not later than the 90th day after the date that the rules, regulations, or other provisions are established as described by Subsection (d-1), the board of regents or other governing board of the institution of higher education shall review the provisions.  The board of regents or other governing board may, by a vote of not less than two-thirds of the board, amend wholly or partly the provisions established under Subsection (d-1).  If amended under this subsection, the provisions are considered to be those of the institution as established under Subsection (d-1).(d-3)  An institution of higher education shall widely distribute the rules, regulations, or other provisions described by Subsection (d-1) to the institution's students, staff, and faculty, including by prominently publishing the provisions on the institution's Internet website. (d-4)  Not later than September 1 of each even-numbered year, each institution of higher education in this state shall submit a report to the legislature and to the standing committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over the implementation and continuation of this section that:(1)  describes its rules, regulations, or other provisions regarding the carrying of concealed handguns on the campus of the institution; and(2)  explains the reasons the institution has established those provisions.(e)  A private or independent institution of higher education in this state, after consulting with students, staff, and faculty of the institution, may establish rules, regulations, or other provisions prohibiting license holders from carrying handguns on the campus of the institution, any grounds or building on which an activity sponsored by the institution is being conducted, or a passenger transportation vehicle owned by the institution.

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Administrative Law
46.035, Penal Code.
|        (b)  A license holder may carry a concealed handgun on or
| about the license holder's person while the license holder is on the
| campus of an institution of higher education or private or
| independent institution of higher education in this state.
|        (c)  Except as provided by Subsection (d), (d-1), or (e), an
| institution of higher education or private or independent
| institution of higher education in this state may not adopt any
| rule, regulation, or other provision prohibiting license holders
| from carrying handguns on the campus of the institution.
|        (d)  An institution of higher education or private or
| independent institution of higher education in this state may
| establish rules, regulations, or other provisions concerning the
| storage of handguns in dormitories or other residential facilities
| that are owned or leased and operated by the institution and located
| on the campus of the institution

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Judicial Law

Sec. 37.0813.  SCHOOL MARSHALS:  PRIVATE SCHOOLS.(a)  The governing body of a private school may appoint one or more school marshals.(b)  The governing body of a private school may select for appointment as a school marshal under this section an applicant who is an employee of the school and certified as eligible for appointment under Section 1701.260, Occupations Code.(c)  A school marshal appointed by the governing body of a private school may carry a concealed handgun or possess a handgun on the physical premises of a school, but only in the manner provided by written regulations adopted by the governing body.(d)  Any written regulations adopted for purposes of Subsection (c) must provide that a school marshal may carry a concealed handgun on the school marshal's person or possess the handgun on the physical premises of a school in a locked and secured safe or other locked and secured location.  The written regulations must also require that a handgun carried or possessed by a school marshal may be loaded only with frangible duty ammunition approved for that purpose by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.(e)  A school marshal may use a handgun the school marshal is authorized to carry or possess under this section only under circumstances that would justify the use of deadly force under Section 9.32 or 9.33, Penal Code.(f)  A private school employee's status as a school marshal becomes inactive on:(1)  expiration of the employee's school marshal license under Section 1701.260, Occupations Code;(2)  suspension or revocation of the employee's license to carry a handgun issued under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code;(3)  termination of the employee's employment with the private school; or(4)  notice from the governing body that the employee's services as school marshal are no longer required.(g)  The identity of a school marshal appointed under this section is confidential, except as provided by Section 1701.260(j), Occupations Code, and is not subject to a request under Chapter 552, Government Code.(h)  If a parent or guardian of a student enrolled at a private school inquires in writing, the school shall provide the parent or guardian written notice indicating whether any employee of the school is currently appointed a school marshal.  The notice may not disclose information that is confidential under Subsection (g).(i)  This section does not apply to a school whose students meet the definition provided by Section 29.916(a)(1).

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More and more schools are putting up big signs that read "Please be aware that the staff will use whatever force necessary to protect our students and staff"

Chipp, T. (2018, March 3). Guns-in-school debate supported on all sides in Abilene and big country. News. Retrieved July 24, 2022, from https://www.reporternews.com/story/news/education/2018/03/02/guns-school-debate-supported-all-sides-abilene-and-big-country/383694002/

https://www.reporternews.com/story/news/education/2018/03/02/guns-school-debate-supported-all-sides-abilene-and-big-country/383694002/

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Signs posted outside all Ballinger Independent School District facilities warn anyone bringing a gun on campus exactly what they're up against.

"Attention," the signs say in bright red, capital letters. In black, below the school logo, it continues: "Please be aware that the staff at Ballinger ISD are armed and may use whatever force is necessary to protect our students and staff."

The district, about 50 miles south of Abilene, is among an estimated 172 public school districts - or 17 percent - where staff members are able to carry firearms on campus, according to the Texas Association of School Boards.

After the most recent school mass shooting, where 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine's Day, a local conversation has developed among education stakeholders about how to protect children.

Many ideas are being tossed about, including arming staff members like in Ballinger.

"I don't like having to put guns in school to protect our students and staff," Ballinger Superintendent Jeff Butts said of the decision made about two years ago. "I think our staff should focus on teaching and preparing our students for the future. We need to find a better way to protect those students and staff, but right now, I think this is the best we can come up with. It's very disturbing our nation has turned to putting guns in schools to protect people. But I would like to think (the signs) would be a deterrent."
More: In Texas, 172 school districts allow teachers, staff to carry guns in schools
Ballinger accomplished this by adopting a "Guardian Plan," one of two ways Texas lawmakers allow for guns on school premises.

Teachers and other staff who already had a concealed carry license through the Texas Department of Public Safety are allowed to carry on campus. It's secret, too, so no one outside of administration knows who or how many are carrying handguns.

It's a massive responsibility to be part of the plan, including quarterly training and refresher courses, simulations and moments designed to scare participants straight.

"Not everybody is willing or capable of carrying out the job assignment we're asking them to do," Butts said. "Once they volunteer, they're heavily scrutinized. They must submit to screenings by a trainer, they must go through an exam similar to what police officers go through and they must pass a strenuous active shooter course.

"Just because you can go shoot a deer doesn't mean you can (do this)."

Butts, an avid hunter, said this isn't the whole solution, just part of a discussion being held throughout Texas and the rest of the country. The Guardian Plan partnered with updated secure entrances to the schools helps protect, while an attention to student needs both mentally and physically, are also pieces of the puzzle.

"I don't think just giving people a gun is the answer to anything," Butts said. "We're diligently paying attention to bullying in our schools. All of the things that are possible in trying to prevent this from happening are the first things we're doing. But in the five to seven minutes you have an active shooter in schools trying to kill kids, what are you going to do about it? That is what's tough trying to find a solution."

'It doesn't sound right'

While the idea of arming teachers isn't new to Texas, after the Florida shooting, a conversation sprang up on solutions on a local, state and national level.
Public schools: Junior Colleges: Gov. Greg Abbott orders immediate measures for junior college campus safety after school shooting Gov. Greg Abbott orders more safety measures for Texas schools after Florida shooting
Gov. Greg Abbott this past week called for public schools and junior colleges to have emergency plans in place to respond to armed attackers.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, proposed the idea of arming teachers, a solution backed by the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun lobbies.

Many responses dominated social media conversations after his statement last month.

Some supported the idea, including some students at the high school where the shooting took place. They suggested that if one of the adults at the school, like coach and victim Aaron Feis, had been armed, it could have been stopped.

Ballinger's superintendent said the notion of arming teachers is an odd one to even think about. Butts, a former secondary school teacher, said he would've been taken aback if it had been mentioned to him when he was in the classroom.

But then Columbine happened. Then Sandy Hook. And now Parkland. There were others and it's bound to happen again. He said he'd be more understanding of the idea now, with the evidence in front of him.

"It's a very odd thing arming our staff and putting them around our kids," Butts said. "It doesn't sound right saying it out loud."

Arming teachers doesn't sit well with some educators, though.

Tyler Burton, president of Education Abilene and a teacher at the Woodson Center for Excellence in the Abilene ISD, said the district's partnership with the Abilene Police Department through both the school resource officers on campus every day and more robust school safety protocols than the Guardian Plan offers helps protect students and staff.

He said discussion with the group's members, who are part of the Texas School Teachers Association and the National Educators Association, has indicated a lack of confidence in arming teachers.

"There is an overwhelming opinion that continues to present itself," Burton said in an email. "Arming teachers is not the solution. More weapons is not the answer. The dangers of arming teachers are endless, and the benefits minuscule."

Instead, Burton said, a defense to these mass shootings, especially the ones perpetrated by younger individuals like the 19-year-old shooter in Florida, is a great offense, catching the potential problems before they develop into real-world issues.

This means more dedication to teaching arts and creative production and more vocational classes that teach marketable skills leading to more job opportunities, he said. More social workers and counselors would also help, along with providing them the resources needed to diagnose and work on mental health issues.

Supporting student needs

Catching any mental health issues would normally fall under the job description of a school counselor. In Abilene ISD, like many districts strapped for funding, it can be tough to accomplish, given the other responsibilities these individuals take on in their day.

Jennifer Seekins, lead secondary counselor for the district and a counselor at Cooper High School, said secondary-level counselors serve not only as the point-of-contact to students and parents concerning social needs, but they coordinate all campus testing, serve all special programs like special education and at-risk assessment, consult with outside agencies for families in need of resources, and offer career and college insight to those who need it.

"The role of AISD counselor is vast and it varies to meet campus and students' needs," she said in a statement.

But might the time be coming when these other duties might be relieved? Phil Ashby, Abilene ISD director of communications and a former counselor, said he's hopeful these responsibilities can be reduced to allow more contact with students who need their time.

In the meantime, he said, Abilene ISD does offer its high school students access to individuals who serve in roles similar to what could be called a crisis counselor.

Both Abilene and Cooper high schools have one counselor each dedicated specifically to assisting students through difficult times. Called Student Assistance Services Counselors, they provide individual and group sessions to help students develop coping and decision-making skills. They also help students function normally in the school day, advocate for mental health, assist staff members providing a friendly atmosphere for students and provide crisis intervention for students and staff.
More: Abilene Police Department to hold active shooter presentation
"All of us in education wish our counselors had considerably more time to address each student's personal needs," Ashby said. "Hopefully, we are closer to the day that we can relieve counselors of some of their other duties and get them back to doing what they love to do and are trained to do. It will be interesting to see if in the next legislative session our representatives take steps to support local school districts in their effort to help meet our students' emotional needs."

Marshals: A legal alternative

In the event of an active shooting situation, it's up to those trained to prevent mass casualty to be a beacon of hope.

Abilene Police Chief Stan Standridge is one of those people. He's in the process of training more of them.

Before it was fully implemented, Standridge was part of a committee of law enforcement professionals who helped write the requirements for the School Marshal Plan, which serves as another method of arming individuals in school facilities.

Unlike the Guardian Plan, which isn't codified in state law, the Marshal Plan was created in the 2013 "Protection of Texas Children Act" and sets deliberately high standards for those who wish to become protectors, Standridge said.

"School marshals are licensed by the state after completing pre-employment screening, including a psychiatric evaluation, and 80-hours of mandatory training," Standridge said in an email. "They also are required to undergo ongoing training in a two-year cycle. APD supports all marshals in Abilene and Wylie ISDs, with firearms qualifications and recurring use of force classes.

"The Guardian Plan allows current district employees, who can already lawfully carry with a permit issued by DPS, to remain armed on campuses. However, the school board must adopt policies allowing this practice. APD does not support guardians who only have minimal training for their handgun license."

During a recent Community Conversation with Mayor Anthony Williams, the question was raised what sort of plan is in place in Abilene to prevent such incidents like Columbine, Sandy Hook and Parkland.

In both Abilene and Wylie ISDs, Standridge said in response, there are both school resource officers - employees of the police department - and marshals, who work for the district.

But the marshals, he said, are also licensed peace officers due to the high level of training they go through to earn the role. While they serve in a normal capacity in their regular duties, their role as marshal is one that allows them to serve only one function.

"They are to intercede on behalf of students and faculty in the case of imminent loss of life," Standridge said at the community event. "So, they're armed, they're on campus. You're not going to see any visible credentials and they're on campus for the purpose of keeping our kids, faculty, teachers safe. They don't investigate criminal law."

Wylie's use of the Marshal Plan has even gained the district some notoriety, as the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement recently contacted Assistant Superintendent Craig Bessent to possibly travel to Washington, D.C., to brief lawmakers on the logistics of school safety and guns in schools.

Bessent was originally supposed to be in the capital this past Wednesday but the powers that be couldn't make it happen, he said. But he's willing and able to go in the future if he's called upon to represent Wylie ISD and Abilene.

"It was supposed to be about school safety, active shooters, that sort of thing," Bessent said. "I do a lot of training for school safety issues and I'm somewhat involved in the school Marshal Plan. I've been around it for a long time."

Like with guardians, the identities of school marshals are confidential. Not even the number of licensed marshals can be revealed.

Liability is a concern

Arming teachers and other staff members with firearms raises some interesting concerns for districts, especially those using the Guardian Plan.

One of a financial importance is liability, which is a gray area according to guidance provided to member school districts by the Texas Association of School Boards.

In a 20-page document, the association said legally, schools have no defined duty to protect students from actions by third parties. However, a district that adopts a protection plan involving firearms on campus may be open to increased federal liability.

TASB also recognizes the inherent threats having more guns on campus may create that weren't there otherwise.

"Increasing the presence of firearms on school premises and at school events, especially in the possession of individuals other than commissioned law enforcement officers, raises the possibility of accidental shootings, injury to bystanders, theft or other criminal actions involving firearms," the memo created by TASB Legal Services says. "Even fully trained law enforcement officers have made tragic errors by misidentifying unarmed children as potential threats; similar errors may occur if educators with little training beyond that required for a handgun license are armed on campus. Permitting non-uniformed staff members to carry guns also raises a concern that law enforcement officers responding to an emergency call will incorrectly identify a staff person as an assailant."

According to TASB, the district's workers compensation coverage and errors and omissions coverage would likely protect both the district and an individual employee in the event of most legal claims.

Child safety from the guns is also a main concern of the law, and there are protocols built into the law to protect children. If the marshal is in direct contact with children - a teacher, for example - as the main function of his or her job, the firearm is to be locked in a safe within reach, the law says.
More: Training shows Texas churches how to fight back against shooters
CRASE training

There are also non-violent solutions available to the public, whether they're school district employees or not. One such option is the CRASE program, which stands for Citizen Response to Active Shooter Events.

Facilitated by the police department, the four-hour session teaches unarmed civilians how to respond in an active shooter situation. It teaches the fundamentals of the Avoid, Deny, Defend strategy developed by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Team (ALERRT) in 2004.

The program includes history of active shooter events, including a replaying of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, the creation of a proven plan for surviving an attack, and drills.

Abilene police offer CRASE training periodically for schools, churches, businesses and any other members of the public free of charge. A session for the general public will be 6 p.m. March 15 at the Abilene Convention Center.

Standridge is an instructor with ALERRT and said Abilene is far ahead of even larger cities who aren't yet doing some of the basics like communicating between departments on how to respond to emergencies.

"We are today certifying police officers, firefighters, EMS and dispatchers on how to work together," Standridge said at the community conversation. "In Abilene ... we are leading the way when it comes to multidisciplinary response to active threats. We've been doing it for five years now. Nobody else is doing it like we are."

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Guns-in-school debate supported on all sides in Abilene and Big Country

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Signs posted outside all Ballinger Independent School District facilities warn anyone bringing a gun on campus exactly what they're up against. "Attention," the signs say in bright red, capital letters. In black, below the school logo, it continues: "Please be aware that the staff at Ballinger ISD are armed and may use whatever force is necessary to protect our students and staff."

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Our professional code of ethics does not talk about campus carry or anything related to handguns on campus. It does talk about violence and how it is not allowed in any situation. I am sure that there will be an update on the code of ethics now that we are becoming a guardian school.

https://www.wintersisd.org/common/pages/DisplayFile.aspx?itemId=25763402

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I still believe that we will see a lot of new laws and recommendations from local and state entities about school safety and campus carry and how they can be effective. As a future principal, I want to make sure that everyone on campus feels safe, and I believe campus carry can help a lot if proper training takes place.

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Slide #13 Bulleted list of Recommendations / Best Practices for Compliance

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Slide #13 Bulleted list of Recommendations / Best Practices for Compliance

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Campus carry can be very effective if proper training
There will always be people for and against it
There needs to be more laws and practices for safer schools
Schools need to be stricter about who they allow on campus
Schools need to train everyone in case there is ever an active shooter situation
It will take a long time for laws to pass and for real change to happen