Texas school worker shot during district-sponsored gun training

A school employee in east Texas was shot on Wednesday during a district-sponsored handgun safety training class that was designed to get more guns in public schools.

The Tyler Morning Telegraph on Thursday reported that Van Independent School District school board member Leslie Goode confirmed that "there was an accident involving one of the employees today."

According to KLTV, multiple sources identified the employee as Glenn Geddie, a maintenance worker for the district.

"At the conclusion of the CHL training on February 27, 2013, one certified person stayed for private instruction with the instructor and had a mechanical malfunction with his weapon," Van Independent School District said in a statement. "With the assistance of the instructor, the malfunction was addressed, but the gun misfired and the bullet ricocheted coming back to strike the VISD employee in the left leg."

"The VISD employee was attended to at the scene and transferred to Tyler for further treatment. The injury is not life threatening or disabling. Because of privacy and security issues we cannot make any further statement."

Following the December mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, Van Independent School District and other Texas school districts put plans in place to allow employees to carry guns in schools.

"After consulting with our school attorney, local law enforcement, DPS officials, and pursuant to its authority under Texas Penal Code 46.03(a)(1), the board authorized specific school employees and other persons to possess certain firearms on school property, at school-sponsored or school-sanctioned events, and at board meetings in accordance with board policy CKC(Local)," a district press release explained in January.

"Please rest assured that we will remain vigilant," the statement said. "Van ISD will continue to do everything we can to ensure that our children are educated in an environment that is safe, healthy, and supportive."

Van Superintendent Don Dunn in January promised KLTV that the district would "go above and beyond on all out training."

"We're going to start training immediately," he said. "It will be every employee who is approved to carry."

Watch this video from KLTV, broadcast Feb. 27, 2013.

KLTV.com-Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville, Texas | ETX News

[Photo: Shutterstock.com]

(h/t: USA Today)