INGLESIDE, TX — Signs across Ingleside Independent School District campuses will now warn visitors about staff members who are armed. The signage is all part of the guardian program, which was put in place because of House Bill 3, requiring an armed person at every campus.
According to the Director of Student Sports Services and School Safety, Scott Kilgore, staff members selected for this program are highly trained and are licensed to carry firearms.
"We want to make sure that we provide the safest learning environment for all of our students," Kilgore said.
Kilgore says for safety reasons, students and staff at campuses will not know who is armed.
"It could be anybody. They are anonymous; not very many people know who they are. They are basically the last line of defense for our students, staff and visitors should something bad happen," Kilgore said.
The guardian will have a firearm on them, but it will not be visible. The district already had school marshals and school resource officers, but officials learned about the guardian program from other school districts and decided to move forward with it.
"I do feel very confident that the people that have been chosen and trained in this course are going to make the right decisions, and we are going to support them," Kilgore said.
Mark Varela is a parent of two children at Ingleside ISD, and his wife, who works for the district, says this will add a layer of protection on campus.
"The program is great; it adds an extra layer of security for the staff and students to keep them safe, and it will also deter someone from doing something bad to where it will protect them," said parent Mark Varela.
