Bloomburg arms select faculty

By Shawn Larson

Bloomburg recently made the decision to let the community know that they have faculty members on staff that are professionally trained to carry firearms on school grounds. Bloomburg Superintendent Brian Stroman says he has taken the task seriously for nearly ten years using “The Texas School Guardian Program”. However, considering the school shootings around the country, most recently, and notably, here in Texas at Uvalde, he felt like it was important now to let the community know they have policies in place to help protect their students which include carrying a gun.

There are some that have nationally ques- tioned the idea of arming faculty, however, Stroman believes for his school it is the right decision since the average school shooting takes only around two minutes and the closest police station is ten minutes away from the school.

Statistics taken from the FBI note that at least 66.9% of all active shooter incidents ended before police arrived. Of the incidents in which the duration was known: 69.8% of active shooter incidents ended in 5 minutes or less. 36.5% of active shooter incidents ended in 2 minutes or less. It was in part, this very reason that Bloomburg decided to adopt the Guardian program.

Stroman thinks that each School’s and district’s situation is unique, and he doesn’t necessarily think this plan would work everywhere. He said Bloomburg ISD, with its small campus, lack of full-time local police, and large volunteer base, is the perfect place for “Guardian” staff to be able to take action. “I want to make sure we’re doing what is right for our community and our kids,” he said. “That’s my number one concern.”

According to their website, ”The Texas School Guardian Program was developed by Jeff Sellers in 2009 as an effort for schools to have an armed defensive approach to an active shooter on campus for the critical period, which is the time from when shooting begins until law enforcement arrives. In 2014 DPS picked up the program and made it a state-wide program for school staff members. This is not the Marshall program, it’s much better. Those who qualify to take the class must already have their Texas LTC. Our program far exceeds the DPS requirements providing school staff members with an array of knowledge. The sole purpose of this program is to protect students and staff, time is essential, time to lockdown, and time to respond.

“Guardian Program Training Required: Focused on one goal, stopping a shooter with deadly force. *16 Hours by licensed and certified DPS instructor *Stricter 90% required live fire qualification and simulation training *Deals with safely stopping active shooter only (no law enforcement training or responsibilities) *Can be personalized to student and district and is 100% controlled by the district. The program is granted under Texas Admin. Code 6.62 and Govt. Code 411.1901.”

The website also explains that there are at least 16 hours of training which includes advanced handgun skills and simulation based on the District’s/Schools establish policies and rules. The program also helps the district choose ammunition designed for one purpose, protecting students from an active shooter prior to law enforcement’s arrival.

Stroman tells the Journal- Sun that for any staff whom they have chosen to allow to carry a gun on campus, they must meet strict, professional, personal guidelines just like local law enforcement. He was also careful to explain that there are only a handful of selected staff members who have passed regular psychological and background checks and exhibited certain traits that would make the best suited to deal in an active shooting situation. They must also have their License to Carry permit (LTC).

These faculty members will continue ongoing training in tactics for denying an intruder entry into a classroom or facility. They will also attend additional training classes as assigned by the district. Stroman also explains that the program is strictly volunteer. There is no requirement that any staff member or teacher be a part of the program. Stroman also added that those selected will never be revealed to the public or students. Part of their plan, Stroman added, was to keep their users anonymous.

Bloomburg ISD has had the Guardian Program in place since 2013, but it was not till the recent Uvalde shooting that they decided to put up large signs around the district to notify the parents and community. “We hope our parents will take pride in the fact that we are being proactive for a safer district.”

Stroman has said that other schools in the area have reached out to him for help with the program. “I have helped other schools in recent years set up their Guardian programs. I have met with school boards and superintendents who understand the value in adding the Guardian Program in their district.”

The superintendent says he is always looking for other ways to make the school safe, trying to find and integrate other alternatives and safeguards so that lethal force may never have to happen.

For instance, there is only one point of entry to the campus, “all visitors enter into a secure vestibule where their DL is scanned through a national database known as Raptor. We have cameras, access control on campus doors, a buzz-in entry system. We have so many additional things in place that I will call “layers” that all add up to a secure classroom and peace of mind for staff. Our school board can get all the credit for the security enhancements. They have put a lot of time and resources into making sure our district is safe.”

A teacher at Bloomburg, Angela Creek, told KPLC that she feels safe with the actions that the district has implemented. “I feel like we have one of the safest schools in the area. I know they are carrying weapons and that’s great for our safety.”

Stroman wanted to emphasize that they are professionals who take this very seriously. “We have worked closely consulting with the Department of Public Safety, Cass County Sheriff Dept, and Bloomburg Police Dept to enhance our safety. We also work closely with Lee Gill, Region 8 safety consultant, on all safety requirements and new ideas we are working on to help our district.”