La Vernia ISD recently voted in favor of allowing teachers to carry firearms on campus under the states guardian plan. Credit: Wikipedia Commons / Lucio Eastman

Teachers at La Vernia Independent School District soon will be packing more than a sack lunch.

After a unanimous school board vote on Monday, some instructors will be allowed to carry firearms on campus. The measure is allowed under the Protection of Texas Children Act Guardian Program, passed by the state legislature in 2013 after a slew of high-profile school shootings.

Under the program, participating districts may grant adults permission to carry a firearm on school grounds as long as they pass a two-day training course run by the Texas Department of Safety. An estimated 20 to 50 districts across Texas participated in the program in 2018, the  Texas Association of School Boards estimates.

La Vernia school board members said the policy change aims deter potential assailants and allow for an “effective and timely response to emergency situations at district schools,” according to the Express-News.

Still, La Vernia’s teacher militia will be bound by guidelines. According to the Express-News, teachers can only load their firearms with district-approved ammunition, and their rifles must remain unchambered, unless an attack is imminent.

The move was widely supported by teachers and community members alike, according to the daily. Some 80% of district employees and 88% of parents voted in favor of the measure in district-wide polls.

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This article appears in May 4-17, 2022.

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...