Texas bill proposes up to $25K for armed school ‘sentinels’

By ACACIA CORONADO
Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas schools could offer up to $25,000 stipends to teachers and staff who accept the dual role of being armed campus “sentinels” with specialized mental health training under a proposal that state lawmakers advanced Tuesday in response to the Uvalde classroom shooting. A similar proposal, which also advanced Tuesday, would create and enforce school safety and security requirements and mandate that all schools have an armed person, ranging from a licensed officer to a trained staff member, who could respond to a shooting. The measure is among proposals across the U.S. that could create a larger presence of armed personnel in the face of mass shootings.