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San Marcos Teachers Arming Themselves With Martial Arts


San Marcos High School teachers are fighting back against active shooters with martial arts.

"We are not in a place where our staff members are going to bring guns on campus. So we don't want to leave ourselves completely vulnerable," said Administrator Denisha Presley.

The campus has two school resource officers guarding their 2,100 students. Presley says the other first responders are teachers.

"We want them to be trained and we want them to have the best opportunity for survival as possible," Presley.

That's why the school partnered with Eddie Diaz the owner of Diaz Martial Arts. He agreed to show staff members how to save lives using their friends free of charge.

"As soon as the barrel of the gun comes in, that's when we charge. We go for the arms and not the gun," Diaz said.

Biology teacher Leslie Smith says they started realizing an active shooter could be a reality during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

"In December they started talking about making us more aware of our surroundings, locking our doors and doing lockdown drills," Smith said.

Now with the class, she says she knows where the hide her students, how to subdue a shooter and arm herself.

"We want to give them the tools to be able to empower themselves to let them know just because somebody comes in with a gun, it's not over yet," said Diaz.

Diaz Martial Arts in San Marcos is offering each staff member a free month to practice.

By Christie Post