Even as school ends, security high on the mind of educators in Killeen
KILLEEN, Texas (KWTX) - School is out for the summer, but that does not mean the classroom is off the minds of many. Planning for school safety is the topic of many conversations now.
In Killeen, the Killeen Educators Association president said many of its members are weighing out some ideas they have for school safety. Many members are openly concerned about it and want to find some more comfort in the classroom.
“Every morning I wake up, I’m wondering if I’ll be faced with someone coming in trying to kill us all,” said Rachel Bourrage, the educators association president.
She said members are talking about asking for more preventative measures. Killeen Independent School District already has its own police force, keeps many of its doors locked and regularly goes over active shooter drills.
But members said they would like to see more resource officers and maybe even more metal detectors on its campuses. Currently, the district only has them on some of the campuses.
“We’re reflecting on what may, can or shouldn’t happen in the upcoming school year,” said Bourrage.
What is not being discussed with member is arming teachers. That was something, once again, brought up by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton earlier this week following the death of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde.
“I think that an educators job is to teach, not to be a soldier or armed in a classroom,” said Bourrage.
In other areas of Central Texas law enforcement is reaching out to campuses.
Bosque County’s sheriff sent out a notice to its school districts, urging them to start a school marshal program. The sheriff’s office even offered direct assistance to the districts.
Whether anything new starts up or not, school staff seem to be on edge.
“Everyone’s head needs to be on a swivel,” said Bourrage. “We all need to stay alert and we all need to form that bond with our students. So that we can tell when things start to escalate.”
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