Texas Offers $25,000 To Teachers Who Answer The Call To Protect School Children And Become Sentinels

A new report out of Texas has revealed that schools in the state could soon offer stipends of up to $25,000 per year to staff members and educators who opt to become armed school “sentinels,” in addition to their existing roles, according to The Associated Press.

House Bill 13 was advanced in the Texas legislature on Tuesday as a response to the devastating massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers in 2022. The tragedy was exacerbated by a woefully inadequate response from the school district’s law enforcement that has seen the termination of former Chief Pete Arredondo.

Republican state Rep. Ken King, author of the bill, told The AP,

“What I want to pay them for is hopefully getting the training needed to spot the children before we have a problem,”

In a statement posted to Twitter Rep. King wrote,

“Yesterday I had the honor of laying out HB 13 on the House Floor, and today it passed. In light of the tragedies that have occurred in Texas schools over the past years, HB 13 allows districts to create a safety plan that works best for their local community while ensuring a minimum standard for all. While HB 13 cannot undo the tragedies that have happened, I believe this legislation will implement what we have learned in the aftermath of these events and help prevent them in the future.”

(1/3) Yesterday I had the honor of laying out HB 13 on the House Floor, and today it passed. pic.twitter.com/JpBO4tbNcN

— Ken King (@KingForTexas) April 25, 2023

The pending bill which passed the Texas House with support from both sides of the aisle is moving to the Senate where it must be passed prior to May 29th when the legislature adjourns. According to The AP, the bill also requires the ‘Sentinels’ to “take courses in first aid, firearms training, and mental health training, which would be added to the mental health training Texas lawmakers want to require for all school employees”

UVALDE MAYOR GOES NUCLEAR ON BETO O’ROURKE: “I HAVE NO RESPECT FOR BETO”

Under the current language of the bill, a school district could arm a teacher to meet the requirements of having an armed officer at every campus. https://t.co/Bj1ZQjwFqA

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) April 24, 2023

In addition to the bill calling for armed ‘Sentinels’, House Bill 3, authored by Rep. Dustin Burrows, also passed the House and heads to the Senate, according to Texas Tribune. HB 3 requires that panic buttons be installed in every classroom and that all schools have armed guards.

In budget proposals, the Texas House allocated $1.6 billion for school security, and the Senate proposes $1.3 billion.

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