Guns no problem at this school

IN THE tiny Texas town of Harrold, children and their parents don't give much thought to safety at the community's lone school - mostly because some of the teachers are carrying concealed weapons.

The nearest sheriff's office is 30 minutes away and people tend to know - and trust - one another. So the school board voted to let teachers bring guns to school.

"We don't have money for a security guard, but this is a better solution," said Superintendent David Thweatt.

"A shooter could take out a guard or officer with a visible, holstered weapon, but our teachers have master's degrees, are older and have had extensive training. And their guns are hidden. We can protect our children."

In the aftermath of last week's Connecticut elementary school shootings, lawmakers in a growing number of states - including Oklahoma, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota and Oregon - have said they will consider laws allowing teachers and school administrators to carry firearms at school.

Texas law bans guns in schools unless the school has given written authorisation. Arizona and six other states have similar laws, with exceptions for people who have licences to carry concealed weapons.

In 2007 Harrold's school board voted unanimously to allow employees to carry weapons. After obtaining a state concealed-weapons permit, each employee who wants to carry a weapon must be approved by the board, based on his or her personality and reaction to a crisis, Thweatt said.

Employees also must undergo training in crisis intervention and hostage situations. And they must use bullets that minimise the risk of ricochet.

CaRae Reinisch said she took her children out of a larger school and enrolled them in the school in Harrold two years ago, partly because she felt they would be safer in a building with armed teachers.

"I think it's a great idea for trained teachers to carry weapons," Reinish said. "But I hate that it has come to this."

Thweatt won't disclose how many of the school's 50 employees carry weapons, saying i t might jeopardise school security.

The school has 103 pupils. Most of them rarely think about who is carrying a gun.

"This is the first time in a long time that I've thought about it," said Matt Templeton, the principal's 17-year-old son. "And that's because of what happened in Connecticut."