More than 300 seniors at a Texas high school have received their diplomas with memories of a deadly mass shooting still fresh in their minds. The diplomas were presented to the Santa Fe High School seniors in the sweltering twilight Friday. (June 2) AP
"We can't fool ourselves into believing that law enforcement is the only appropriate response,"
AUSTIN — Since the shooting at Santa Fe High School, 13 additional Texas school districts have applied to take part in the school marshal program and more must be done at the campus level to protect students, law enforcement professionals told a legislative committee Tuesday.
"We can't fool ourselves into believing that law enforcement is the only appropriate response," Sheriff Jim Skinner of the Dallas suburb of Collin County said in testimony to the special Senate committee studying school safety.
The committee was formed in response to the recent gun violence at public schools, including the May 18 shooting that killed 10 and injured more than a dozen others in Santa Fe. It will likely examine many of the school-safety recommendations recently announced by Gov. Greg Abbott that will require legislative action.
Steve McCraw, who heads the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the presence of both uniformed police officers and plainclothes armed marshals serves as a warning to anyone who might be contemplating violence at a school.
“There’s a deterrent aspect of that I don’t think we can overlook,” he said.
Kim Vickers, executive director of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, said the key is making sure that school marshals — whether they are teachers or other school administrators — receive the training needed to act under duress.
Asked how many marshals are currently authorized to work in school, Vickers said such information is confidential. The marshals, he said, are not patrol officers but they are empowered to respond to emergencies and to make arrests in such events.
This is a developing report. Please check back for updates.