A Texas school has put up a sign with a stark warning—teachers may be armed.
“Please be aware that the staff at Medina ISD may be armed and will use whatever force is necessary to protect our students,” the sign reads. It’s in front of Medina Independent School District—a small school district with 303 students between elementary and high school.
The sign was shared by a local newspaper, the Bandera Bulletin, on Facebook, drawing mixed reactions.
Medina Superintendent Penny White told KSAT-TV that the school’s board of trustees decided to erect the sign after a year of discussion.
“You never know if there’s a transient or someone who has zeroed in on harming a child,” White said.
Two other signs with the same, or similar, warning will be added to other entrances at the school, White told the station.
No specific event prompted the school board’s discussion. Board member Dr. James Lindstrom cited “the general environment nationally” as one reason, according to the report.
White said the school is located in a remote location. “We’re 20 minutes or 25 minutes from Bandera,” she said. “That’s our closest law enforcement.” Bandera is a small town of about 857 in Bandera County, located in central Texas. Medina, located in Bandera County, has a population of about 500 people.
White didn’t say if teachers or staff will actually be armed. “We don’t divulge anything about our safety plan, because it would compromise the plan,” she told KSAT.
According to an ABC report, most parents seem to be fine with the sign.
“Schools have been a target for, for lack of a better word, crazy people, and I’m perfectly fine with it,” parent Jillian Sides, who has two children attending the school, told ABC13.
“I don’t know if that’s asking for trouble or not,” Alisha Reagan added. “I mean, you post a sign like that, it may bring trouble unfortunately.”
