Only in Texas! A local school board, Harrold Independent School District, in rural North Texas unanimously passed the policy to allow its teachers and staff to carry concealed hand guns to school. According to Fort Worth Star-Telegram, since the tiny 110-student school district was just off a heavily trafficked freeway, US 287, they felt the police was too far to respond quickly if there ever was an emergency. Therefore, the school board passed CKC (LOCAL), Safety Program/Risk Management Emergency Plans, which states:

Recognizing that District schools are located in a somewhat isolated area and that response from emergency first responders, including law enforcement personnel, takes a minimum of approximately 30 minutes, the Board adopts the following policy to address concerns about effective and timely response to emergency situations at schools, including invasion of the schools by an armed outsider, hostage situations, students who are armed and posing a direct threat of physical harm to themselves or others, and similar circumstances.

For a teacher to carry a conceal handgun, they are required to have a Texas concealed handgun license, undergoing training in crisis management, and hostile situations and must use ammunition designed to minimize the risk of ricocheting bullets.

Defending the board’s decision, David Thweatt, Harrold ISD’s superintendent, told the Star-Telegram:

“When the federal government started making schools gun-free zones, that’s when all of these shootings started,” Thweatt said. “Why would you put it out there that a group of people can’t defend themselves? That’s like saying ’sic ‘em’ to a dog.”

There is a small problem. Texas law outlaws firearms at schools “unless pursuant to the written regulations or written authorization of the institution.” However, Thweatt counters that argument and states the district did their research before making their decision. It seems they did find a loophole. According to the new school policy, “under Texas Penal Code 46.03(a)(1), the Board may … authorize specific school employees to possess certain firearms on school property.” I would not be surprised if our state legislature will be closing that loophole next year, but then again, maybe not, this is Texas.

This is not the only security measure put in place. The Star-Telegram also reports that the school board also decided to include “one-way access to enter the school, state-of-the-art surveillance cameras and electric locks on doors.”

Harrold is a community located in Wilbarger County. In 2007, the population in Wilbarger County, TX, was estimated at 14,218, with 77% of people are white, 8% are African Americans and 23% are Latino. As of 2007, Harrold’s population is 268 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of 2.80 percent.

According to student data obtained from Texas Education Agency, there is only one school within the Harrold Independent School District – Harrold School. This makes sense since there were only 113 enrolled during 2006-2007 school year. As for the student demographic: Whites made up 57% (64) of the student population, Latinos 35% (40), African Americans 4% (4), and Native Americans 4% (5); of those 70% are eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program.

One would wonder why a small town that lies 150 miles northwest of Fort Worth and 37 miles northwest of Wichita Falls on the eastern end of Wilbarger County, near the Oklahoma border would need to put the school in lock down. According to Thweatt, the town felt there was a need to take further action due to the incidents that occurred at Virginia Tech and the Amish school in Pennsylvania. However, could there be more than meets the eye?

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s hate watch list, there is an active chapter of the Independent Skins in Wichita Falls, TX. SPLC reports that Independent Skins are known racist skinheads, particularly violent element of the white supremacist movement. Are Thweatt and Harrold ISD school board protecting their students from potential racial threats from a neighboring town?

If there is anybody from that area or know somebody from area and who would like share with us some insight as to why a community of 200 plus would lock down their only, feel free to leave a comment. If you prefer to remain anonymous, I would encourage you to use the contact page to leave me a note. I realize things are different now from the time I went to public school; however, I really find it hard to believe that a small rural town with a very small student enrollment would have the same problems that many schools are facing the urban areas.

Related posts

• The Chicano Survivor of The Hate Crime Beating Takes His Own Life (18)
• Post Election Hate Running Rampant (14)
• Politics of Humanity: Immigrants Viewed As Second Class Citizens (0)
• People Stop The Noose Insanity (3)
• Parenting Bullying Behavior (3)

Tags: Harrold ISD, hate crimes, school violence |  Print This Post |
functional