An Arkansas school district will arm over 20 faculty members and staff with concealed 9 mm handguns under a state law that allows armed security guards on campus, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Some teachers and school employees in Clarksville, Ark. will undergo 53 hours of training with a private facility, including going through drills that simulate campus shooting scenarios, in order to become licensed guards, according to the AP. Those teachers and employees are also provided with a stipend to purchase their weapons.
The Clarksville district will have signs posted at schools signaling the presence of armed guards, but the identities of which faculty and staff members are carrying handguns will be protected, Superintendent David Hopkins told the AP.
According to Arkansas’ Department of Education, no school district in the state had previously made use of the law to arm teachers on campus.