San Marcos CISD rolls out new school marshals program

SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) -- With the first day of school two weeks away, San Marcos CISD students were rolling out a new school marshals program this school year.

Back in April, the San Marcos CISD Board of Trustees voted to approve the licensing program overseen by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. The program allows select school employees to carry a gun on campus after meeting specific requirements.

Those requirements include having a current license to carry in Texas, passing a psychological exam and completing an 80-hour school marshal training program.

At the time of its approval, some district parents expressed concerns about the idea of some teachers possibly being armed. In a conversation with San Marcos CISD Superintendent Michael Cardona, he told KXAN arming teachers was "never in discussion here in San Marcos."

"We're pretty confident that we have some exceptional individuals that have the law enforcement background that will benefit not only the kids but the staff and I think, as a whole, the greater San Marcos community," Cardona said.

As of July 2022, there are 256 school marshals working across 62 districts in the state of Texas, per the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.