Westwood ISD Chief Discusses Armed Staff

PALESTINE � An East Texas school district makes it known: you better not mess with their kids. Signs posted at all four Westwood ISD campuses in Palestine read, �Notice: staff may be armed to protect students.� Superintendent Ed Lyman says the signs went up after the Sandy Hook Shooting. He says no one�s complained, but some parents are concerned. According to Lyman, �We pray that there�ll never be an accident, just like we pray there�ll never be an assault on our schools. But if there is, we want to be ready to defend ourselves.� He says the staffers who have had special training are armed, and some are former military or police officers. He tells news media the plan is adapted from one used by the Harrold ISD near the Oklahoma border.