Parents are wanting to know how a child could go unnoticed from digging through a teacher's bag.

Should Teachers Be Allowed to Carry Firearms in Texas Schools?

This is a debate that has been going on for years now in Texas and it varies from district to district. Some schools say no way, while others post signs stating that several staff members are armed on school grounds. If you're allowed to carry on school grounds, you're responsible for that firearm at all times. A school here in Texas does not allow their staff to be armed and somehow a child got a hold of their teacher's bag last Thursday.

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Bonham Prekindergarten School in San Marcos, Texas

This small school in San Marcos is meant for children to go into before they go into elementary school. On Thursday, a four-year-old student was able to get his hands on a bag that belonged to one of his teacher's aides in the class. Apparently two adults were in class at the time of the incident and did not notice the boy going through the bag.

No One Was Hurt in the Incident

The boy thankfully simply placed the gun on the desk and teachers then noticed what happened. A letter sent out to parents at the school said what happened next. "The classroom teacher quickly removed the student from near the table and evacuated all the students while the campus school marshal entered the classroom to confiscate and secure the firearm and backpack."

What Happens to the Teacher's Aide Now?

Like I said earlier, this is campus that does not allow their staff to be armed so they will be charged. According to the San Marcos CISD, unlawful carrying of a weapon in a gun free zone,which is a Class A misdemeanor. “It was an unintentional mistake. But regardless, bringing a fire arm to campus is illegal, inexcusable. And we will not tolerate this type of actions for for any employer – any individual – coming on to an SMCISD campus,” said Andrew Fernandez, Chief of Communications for SMCISD.

How Many Texas School Districts Have Armed Staff?

According to a survey from 2022, The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement has the Marshall program for Texas teachers to be armed on campus. Teachers are required to go through 80 hours of classes and pass a psychological exam. According to the 2022 numbers, 256 school marshals operating in 62 school districts. The Texas Education Agency reports there are 1,204 districts in the state, including 183 charter operations.