PORT ARTHUR, Texas — Port Arthur Independent School District has hired its first school marshals to work at elementary campuses.
Now see marshals with be seen at Booker T. Washington, DeQueen and Lakeview Elementary Schools.
This is part of the State of Texas' mandate to increase security at school after the Uvalde school shooting in 2022.
The marshals' day -to-day jobs include routine safety checks like making sure doors are shut and locked, monitoring hallways, parking lot surveillance and indoor and outdoor checks of the buildings.
Booker T. Washington Elementary principal Lucretia Harris tells 12News, they aren't just there for a school shooting situation.
"It's a good thing that we have an officer here, it can help to diffuse any situations that may arise when it comes down to an irate parent or just someone on the outside that may be irate from something else," Harris said.
Hayward Derouen, the new marshal at Booker T. Washington, says the training is much more detailed than what security guards receive.
"I feel like we have better training, most security guards they may have a day of training. The school marshal program is definitely amazing. The training that they put on definitely sets us up to be in a winning situation," said Derouen.
Marshals are taught to diffuse situations are trained to be proficient shooters and also have medical training, all for the safety of students and staff.
The other Port Arthur ISD schools do not have marshals yet, according to Public Information Officer Adrienne Lott.
The jobs are still posted on the district's website.
