TexasCHLforum.com

EEllis wrote:

srothstein wrote:

Charles L. Cotton wrote:

jmra wrote:

C-dub wrote:

doncom wrote:Question: can a Texas school district adopt a policy allowing specific school personal with CHL to carry on school property ...

They can do this first part, though, right?

A CHL can carry in a school with written authorization from the proper school administrator.

Correct; this takes are of the Penal Code issue. If the CHL is serving as security, they must be a LEO or a licensed security guard.

Chas.

There is one new addition to this list, but it is sort of a cross. A person with a CHL may be employed by a school and appointed as a school marshal if he completes an 80 hour training program just for this. This is the new law that was passed to allow CHLs to protect campuses. The school marshal has most of the powers of a peace officer (no ticket writing) while on duty.


EDIT: Incidentally, Doncom, this is how I would suggest the school board do this instead of trying to circumvent the law on security licensing.

Incidentally the press release I saw on this was by TCLOE and they called the program "a licensing program for the
new type of law enforcement designated as School Marshals" so as a school marshal you would be a LEO. In reality it's little different how if some Govt body commissions an armed guard they are considered "peace officers" while they work giving them some additional powers. Many school districts do this already but the guards would have to follow all the restrictions the board places on private security. School marshals wouldn't be under the security board but Tcloe. This would however mandate that the school district have some sort of police dept because without one I wonder how they could take part. Many districts have such even if they have no officers preferring to contract out to a local dept for officers.

What is this TCLOE to which you are referring?

Mojo84:

TCOLE is the new name for TCLEOSE as of this morning. It is now the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.

EEllis:

This is why I posted it as a sort of hybrid. The ISD does not have to have a police department because of the way the law is written. I think this law was written just to alleviate that because any ISD could already have their own PD if they wanted. Luling ISD, with less than 400 students on its high school campus could start a PD and have their own cops if they wanted. I think the marshal law was designed to help schools avoid the trouble and expense of a full PD. I need to go look now and see what rules TCOLE adopts for it.

The person with a CHL may be performing any function on campus, such as teacher or janitor, but by going through the two week program and being designated by the board becomes a school marshal. There is a limit of one marshal per 400 students on campus. There is nothing in the law forbidding an ISD from hiring a school safety officer and putting him through this program and giving him just that duty, just as they could use it as an additional duty for a teacher. The marshal would be a sort of LEO, but only have LEO authority on duty at the school and not even have full authority then (no traffic tickets was written into the law).

On a side note, I am not sure exactly how this would play out under LEOSA because it would make the marshal a qualified LEO under that law, as I read it.