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Local school districts add more school safety measures for the new school year

Some districts in Central Texas are adding safety protocols and continuing the Guardian Program, while one ISD is thinking of bringing in the Marshal Program.

CENTRAL, Texas — School district leaders in Central Texas are ramping up safety protocols for the new school year.

Salado ISD is thinking of implementing the Marshal Program. Until then, they have added two security resource officers.

"We've only had one SRO that has been shared between all three of our schools," the Superintendent of Salado ISD, Michael Novotny, said. "Now we're going to have three of them, so they want one at every campus."

If the school were to take on the Marshal program, it would not come into fruition until next school year, due to the Marshal program requiring more hours to train.

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The Marshal Program is run through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.

It gives School Districts the option to train selected employees to be armed marshals, and in order to do so, participants have to complete 80 hours of training.

Other School Districts like Moody and Thorndale ISD have been using the Guardian program for years.

"The Guardian program is really a very good fit for us," the Superintendent of Moody ISD, Andrew Miller, said. "We have a lot of people who are willing to serve in that capacity."

While continuing the Guardian Program this year, Miller said the ISD will also add new new ways to ensure their doors are always secure, locked and closed when they are supposed to be.

The Guardian program requires less hours of training than the Marshal Program, and it is not regulated by TCOLE.

Any staff member chosen would be trained by their local School Board.

Thorndale ISD also decided to take on the Guardian Program a few years ago. 

Adam Ivy, the Superintendent of the ISD said because of this program, his community continues to feel safe.

"We want to give ourselves the best chance to be able to save lives, as many as possible," Ivy said.

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