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As a middle school history teacher, I study with my students the importance of learning from the mistakes of others in the past in order to improve our futures. As presented to a school board, the topic of campus carry in Texas public schools is an interesting topic that is being circulated around the state. I chose this topic because the increased desire for safety in schools, and the question of whether or not arming teachers is the solution.

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Amy Lemaster is the principal at Lee Middle School in San Angelo, Texas. Prior to this, she held the role of 8th grade principal at the same school, and prior to that, she was an Instructional Coach at Bowie Elementary in San Angelo, Texas. She stated in her interview that in a district the size of San Angelo ISD, it is difficult to manage untrained professional who have a weapon placed in their hands. In a large district you must appease the masses in order to continue operations. However, in order to increase school safety, Mrs. Lemaster says that schools in the area, especially Lee, are holding active shooter drills on school campuses in order to learn how to properly assess threats. The safety of students is her number one priority everyday when she comes into work, and if something happens to compromise that safety, the campus must find a solution.
According to Mrs. Lemaster, the three best practices for schools to increase safety are:

Recognize the impact of current and future gang activity.

Increase communication among school safety officials

Performing active shooter drills on campuses.

Mrs. Lemaster believes the emerging issue of arming teachers is a distant future for the district. The smaller the district, the more simple the logistical issue becomes. However, political and bureaucratic influences can always change the course of action in districts.

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In 2018, the National School Board Association (NSBA) released a comprehensive guide to school safety. This guide include dealing with threat assessment, school safety planning, and working with law enforcement. However, the idea of LTC in public schools was not mentioned. However, the topic cannot be put to rest that easily. The idea of having a team of licensed teachers to carry weapons on campus should be something that is discussed when mentioning school safety, because it is another avenue in which schools can protect their students.
(NSBA, 2018)
Link: https://www.nsba.org/News/2018/School-Safety-Guide

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Education Week
The state of Ohio is helping the rest of the nation identify threats in their respective schools and districts.

Online videos provide information on the creations and usage of threat assessment teams.

Teams of administrators, counselors, teachers, and school officers provide a comprehensive perspective on recognizing and identifying students in need before they turn to violent actions.

The videos involve information for students as well in identifying troubling signs in themselves and other students, too.

Associated Press. (2020). New videos help train Ohio schools to use threat assessment.Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/02/26/new-videos-help-train-ohio-schools_ap.html

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Education Dive
The U.S. Department of Education allocated $71.6 million to provide funding for schools' access to mental health resources.

Four grant programs will provide the funding.

School leaders can customize approaches specific to their needs

This mental health approach is designed to curtail any trouble before it begins by helping students cope with their feelings before violently acting on them.

De la Rosa, S. (2019).

Ed Dept allots $71.6M to boost proactive school safety measures. Retrieved from https://www.educationdive.com/news/ed-dept-allots-716m-to-boost-proactive-school-safety-measures/564628/

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2nd amendment (U.S. Const., amend II)

This is a constitutional source of law, and it protects the rights of the American people to keep and bear arms. The amendment states that this right “shall not be infringed” (U.S. Const., amend II). This law guarantees American citizens the protection from unlawful seizure of their firearms by a federal or government entity. In relation to the issue of campus carry, this further protects the rights of educators who are able to carry a firearm on a school campus.

Link: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript

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Tex. Penal Code §46.02

This is a statutory law that states the requirements for people who may carry a firearm outside their homes and vehicles. In order for individuals to carry a firearm in these areas, they must be licensed under Texas Government Code chapter 411. This relates to campus carry in that an educator’s place of work is outside their home and vehicle.

Link: https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.46.htm

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Texas Government Code §411.1882.

This is a statutory law that describes the qualifications for carrying a firearm outside of a home or vehicle, in accordance with Texas Penal Code §46.02. In this statute, an individual must be 21 years of age, pass a criminal background check, attend a handgun proficiency course, and demonstrate proficiency with the weapon (T.G.C. §411.1882). This is relative to campus carry in that professional educators are at least 21 years of age, and must have demonstrated all these requirements before they are allowed to carry a weapon.

Link: https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/StatutesByDate.aspx?code=GV&level=SE&value=411.1882&date=5/25/2015

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18 U.S.C. § 921 (a)(25).

This is a statutory law that prohibits individuals from possessing a firearm in a school zone or on a campus unless that individual is licensed to do so through federal, state, or local law enforcement. This can be argued, however, that persons with a license to carry (LTC) may carry a weapon in a school zone or on a campus through this law. In relation to campus carry, this law can be interpreted many different ways by many different people. Arguably, an LTC provides legal protection to someone carrying a concealed firearm, but no one technically must know about the person carrying.

Link: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2009-title18/html/USCODE-2009-title18-partI-chap44.htm

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Guardian Plans
In the San Angelo area, 5 school districts have enacted a guardian program that arms teachers, all of whom the public is unaware of in order to increase safety. Wall, Christoval, Miles, Ballinger, and Veribest have armed certain teachers who have gone through 80 hours of training and psychological evaluations in order to better protect their student.

Gaitan, M. (2018). Inside the guardian program protecting west Texas schools. Retrieved from https://www.gosanangelo.com/story/news/education/2018/03/10/inside-guardian-program-protecting-west-texas-schools/404817002/

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T.A.C. §247.2 (1.10)
This section of the code states that the educator shall be of "good moral character" in order to properly supervise and instruct the youth of the state. If, in any case, an educator were to be armed, they must adhere to this standard in order to properly protect their students. Also, having good moral character allows someone to properly assess a threat in a situation, and allows them to respond appropriately.
Link: https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=19&pt=7&ch=247&rl=2

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School Safety Report
The official school safety report issued by the Secretary of Education informs the president, as well as the public, of the state of school safety around the nation. It contains 3 sections which describe strategies to prevent violence and bullying, protect and mitigate school security, and methods to use in response and recovery after incidents.

U.S. Department of Education. (2018). Final report of the federal commission on school safety. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/documents/school-safety/school-safety-report.pdf

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Best Practices
While nothing will ever cover every possible situation of school safety, there can be a list of best practices.

Keep in the mind the safety of all students every day and what can be done to ensure peace of mind for parents and guardians.

Stay up to date with laws and regulations that allows administrators to establish rules to further protect students.

Offer training courses as professional development options to better train faculty and staff for safety compliance and situational actions.

Partner with local police departments to provide school safety on campuses and in districts that do not arm teachers.

Communicate with other educators about how they ensure the safety of their students

Conduct research and establish outside communication with the community on how schools can better protect their faculty, staff, and students.