FAYETTEVILLE, Texas — Across Fayetteville Independent School District’s campus, there are signs saying, “Attention: Please be aware that the staff of Fayetteville ISD may be armed and will use whatever force is necessary to protect our students.”

“They mean everything. We treat each and every one of these students like they’re our own,” said Superintendent Jeff Harvey. 

This week, Harvey sent a letter home to parents of the district’s 256 students informing them of the new voluntary “guardian program” to arm some of the 38 staff members on campus. The school board made the decision to change local policy to give selected staff members the right to carry concealed handguns.

While the implementation comes in the wake of the Florida school shooting that left 17 people dead, Harvey said the decision was more than eight months in the making.

"I'm not about to say this is what's best for other school districts,” Harvey said. “They have to determine that in their boardrooms and in their communities. For us, this is what we felt was in the best interest of our community.”

To become a “Guardian” the staff members will have to pass these requirements:

  • Approved by the school board
  • Have a License to Carry permit
  • Pass a psychological exam
  • Submit to random drug testing
  • Trained in tactics for denying intruders
  • Qualify annually with the handgun they use   

The board then gives the final approval.

“It’s not a vigilante program, this is a guardian program, just that,” Harvey said.

Some parents who spoke to Spectrum New said people need to understand their rural realities.

“If you called the police or 911, even for an ambulance, you’re going to wait 15 minutes, so we have the limitations of proximity to those of the authorities and the resources,” said Jeanne Schilling, a parent of a Fayetteville ISD student. “You sort of have to think about, ‘how are you going to do it?'”

The town does not have a local police department and relies on the Sheriff’s Office in La Grange, which is more than 10 miles away.  Schilling said she has confidence in the district’s educators.

“I know these people. I know every teacher there. They’ve gone through the tests, they’ve gone through the psychological tests. I go to church with half of them,” Schiling said. “I know the people and I trust them. I feel secure that if somebody has a gun there, it’s somebody I trust and know.”

The names and the number of “guardians” will remain confidential. The school district emphasized that this does not mean that parents or students will be allowed to carry weapons on campus.