A new Texas bill proposes a stipend of up to $25,000 for public school employees, who are authorized to act as armed guards on school grounds.
The proposed legislation follows a recent trend of training armed school staff after recent mass shootings at educational facilities across the country.
Texas lawmakers advanced House Bill 13 on April 25, which will provide funding for “training, preparedness, and funding for school safety and emergencies.”
The act passed with bipartisan support and will now head to the Texas Senate, where it faces a vote.
It has almost been a month before the one-year anniversary of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which led to the deaths of nineteen students and two teachers.
Lawmakers have until May 29 to pass the gun safety measures before adjourning without a set return date.
The bill, if passed, would allow employees of public and charter schools in the state to apply for the School Guardian Training stipend.
Applicants will be required to take courses in first aid, firearms training, and rigorous mental health training before they are allowed to act as part-time campus security in addition to their regular duties.
Texas to Expand Training Program for Armed Teachers
Texas already allows teachers who have undergone proper firearms training to carry guns under a voluntary program.
A voluntary school marshal program was created after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in 2012, which allowed districts to appoint peace officers to protect the classroom in case of a school shooter threat.
Applicants must complete various requirements, including 80 hours of firearms training and pass a psychological exam, but the program has drawn few takers.
The marshal program had only certified just 33 school employees across Texas in its first four years across 9,000 campuses.
There were still only fewer than 400 applicants by the summer of 2022, in the immediate wake of the Uvalde massacre.
Legislators in Texas to Pass More Bills to Improve School Safety
Other new school safety measures being pushed in Texas would require at least one armed person, such as a law enforcement officer or a trained staff member, on all campuses.
A separate bill, which will place silent panic buttons in every classroom, is now headed to Gov. Greg Abbott to sign.
Republican state Rep. Ken King, who authored the bill, told the Associated Press that it was proposed “in light of the tragedies that have occurred in Texas schools over the past years.”
“HB 13 allows districts to create a safety plan that works best for their local community while ensuring a minimum standard for all,” he said in a tweet.
He also said that his bill emphasized training school employees to identify students with mental health problems before an issue arises.
“What I want to pay them for is hopefully getting the training needed to spot the children before we have a problem,” said King.
However, Democrat state Rep. James Talarico, a former middle school teacher, voted against the new proposal after fearing that it would create an incentive for teachers struggling financially to carry weapons.
“Even teachers who don’t want to carry guns may feel like they are financially pressured to do so just so they can provide for their families,” Talarico said.
Other States Propose Bills to Support Armed School Personnel
Other bills which fund the arming of school teachers and other staff have been passed, or are being proposed in other states, as lawmakers nationwide call for improved safety.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) proposed an $80 million federal program in the U.S. Senate to arm officers in schools nationwide.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said he intends to expand similar school safety measures following the shooting at Covenant School, a private Christian school in Nashville.
A 28-year-old transgender individual shot and killed six people in a targeted attack on Christians before law enforcement shot and killed the attacker.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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