A small school district in East Texas became the second in the state to allow some staff members to carry concealed handguns. The school board at Union Grove ISD – just outside Longview – voted this week to allow trained staff members access firearms in the event of an armed intruder.
“It is up to the discretion of the local board," said Texas Education Agency spokesperson Debbie Ratcliffe. "There’s a provision in the Texas Penal Code that basically says schools are a gun free zone unless the school board adopts a policy that permits it.”
In a Facebook post, Union Grove ISD Superintendent Brian Gray provided details of the added security.
"It is the goal of the Union Grove School Board to investigate every conceivable option as it relates to the safety of our students.
The safety and well-being of our children is paramount and is the number one priority of administration and our school board," said Gray.
The first school district to adopt the policy was Harold ISD northwest of Dallas. They voted to do that in 2008.
