Big Sandy ISD

April 6, 2018

Big Sandy ISD Students, Parents and Community Members:

The ability to provide a safe and secure learning environment is and has been a key responsibility for school districts, including Big Sandy ISD. Unfortunately, Big Sandy ISD is not immune to school crises, and we need the ability to keep our students and school safe. On February 19 and March 29, the Big Sandy ISD Board of Trustees approved local policies that authorizes certain employees to possess a firearm on District premises. Students, parents and most other staff still will not be allowed to possess a firearm on District premises or places where a District activity is taking place.

The Board adopted these policies to address concerns about effective and timely response to emergency situations at school due to the distance and time we are located from law enforcement.

Employees selected for this program have volunteered and their names are confidential. They will have a legal right to possess a firearm on campus.

Employees selected have passed the following protocols and training:
*Possess a License to Carry (LTC)
*Must qualify annually
*Training in the protection of students
*Training on the interaction with First Responders
*Tactics for denying an intruder entry into a classroom/building
*Methods to increase authorized employee’s accuracy while under stress
*Approved by the School Board

Big Sandy ISD will post signs on campus which shall serve as a deterrent to anyone trying to create a school crisis. These signs state, “Attention: Please be aware that the staff at Big Sandy ISD are armed and may use whatever force is necessary to protect our students.”

Sincerely,

Eric Carpenter
Superintendent