KEENE, Texas – A “very select few” well-trained teachers will soon have authority to carry guns to schools in the Keene Independent School District after board members approved the move Wednesday.

School principals, Keene Police and the Keene ISD Superintendent will invite a “very select few” teachers to receive training to earn a concealed handgun license and serve as a first line of defense, NBC DFW reports.

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“If you’d asked me nine years ago, 10 years ago, whether I ever would’ve been for it, I would’ve said ‘no,’” superintendent Ricky Stephens told WFAA.

“That old mentality of ‘it can’t happen here’ has started to leave a lot of small towns,” he said.

Neither school officials nor the media are disclosing the number of teachers who will participate in the program, or who they are. The teachers will receive extensive training beyond the concealed weapons course to remain prepared for a school emergency, an effort that will be coordinated through the district’s new police department, according WFAA.

“We’re going to do a minimum of 80 hours a year of training,” Keene ISD Police Chief Tim Kosar said, adding that teachers will be required to keep the weapons on them at all times. “We’ll do it at least quarterly, and three or four times we train a year will be at a range.”

Keene school board members approved the new program in a 6 to 1 vote Wednesday, and it’s expected to officially launch early next year.

Michelle McCormick, parent of a fourth- and eighth-grader in the district, said she believes it’s “terrible we have to do this” but thinks it’s the right move.

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“It does shock me,” she told WFAA, “but I have to tell you I’m for it.”

The Washington Times reports teachers selected for the training will be provided guns by the district.

WFAA points out that several other area school districts have also approved similar programs, including Argyle ISD in 2014 and Van ISD in 2013.

“This sounds like good policy,” fivefoottwo posted to the Times site. “It’ll take a while for some to be comfortable with this, (but) they’ll be okay as time goes on. I hope more school districts look at the new policy of this district and follow suit.”

Commenter gp1910 wrote from his experience packing heat in the classroom.

“I am a teacher in Israel and have been carrying a .45 everyday for the past 35 years,” gp1910 posted. “It makes the kids and other teachers feel safer and more secure.”

“Here is one school district in America that will be safer … for both students and faculty thanks to a common sense decision by concerned school board members,” commenter Secret Squirrel added.