As faith leaders formed in peacemaking, we are deeply grieved by the recent decision of the San Marcos CISD school board to institute a school marshal program which would place concealed firearms in the hands of school employees. We support the goal of keeping our children and community safe, but putting concealed guns into the hands of school personnel is not the answer. We appeal to the board to reconsider this decision, or at least to take a few more sessions to consider a wider range of options.
There were many benefits highlighted about a school marshal program including checking physical security of our schools, developing response plans, medical first response training, and even assisting with car lines and lunch duty. These are important safety activities that do not require a concealed gun to perform.
When given the opportunity to implement a school safety program incorporating all the proposed safety improvements, with the only exception to not arm school employees, the board declined to discuss it. In the spirit of collaboration and hope, we ask the board to reconsider this discussion.
