TYLER, Texas — Tyler ISD board of trustees approved the Guardian Plan, allowing district employees to have access to certain firearms in schools, board meetings and at school-related events, last week.
“The district sees this as an extra line of defense to ensure the safety of our students and staff and will always first rely on our Tyler ISD Police force and partnerships with local law enforcement agencies,” said Tyler ISD Superintendent Dr. Marty L. Crawford.
Trustees approved the plan during a board workshop Aug. 4.
Each employee approved to be part of the Guardian Plan will have specialized training in intervention, management of hostage situations and other topics the board may determine necessary, according to Tyler ISD.
Besides the Guardian Plan, Tyler ISD will also be implementing other safety measures.
Tyler ISD Police Department will increase its staff to 34 officers, which will allow for one armed officer based on every elementary school campus and more than one armed officer at the secondary schools.
"We will be installing signs at campus entrances stating that some of our employees are armed," Chief Communications Officer Jennifer Hines said. " We hope this warning will be one more deterrent for anyone thinking about harming our students and staff."