In response to the Uvalde classroom shooting last year, Texas schools may provide staff employees stipends of up to $25,000 if they take on the responsibility of armed campus “sentinels.”
There have been increasing requests from certain lawmakers for additional armed employees in schools as the number of mass shootings in the United States has reached a record high in 2023.
Currently in Texas, teachers are allowed to carry weapons under a voluntary program that calls for firearms training but has attracted just a small number of applicants.
Acoording to the proposal, armed personnel must receive training in order to recognize students who have mental health issues.
Republican state Rep. Ken King, who authored the bill, said “What I want to pay them for is hopefully getting the training needed to spot the children before we have a problem.”
The bill, which received strong support from both political parties and was passed by the Texas House by a wide margin, now heads to the Senate, where its chances of passage are doubtful.
Before Texas lawmakers adjourn on May 29, there are just a few weeks left for it to adopt any school safety measures.
The Texas law would allow public and open-enrollment charter school teachers and staff to get up to $25,000 more if they choose to carry weapons on campus.
In addition to the mental health training Texas lawmakers want to mandate for all school staff to undergo first aid, firearms, and mental health training classes.
Texas will require all public school campuses in to have at least one armed person present, who could be a police officer or a member of the school staff.
In order for it to pass, a bill requiring quiet panic buttons in classrooms must now have the approval of Republican Governor Greg Abbott.
