An Arkansas school district that decided late last month to arm some faculty members at its schools is forging ahead with the plan, despite receiving an advisory opinion from the State Attorney General that it should give up on the idea.

The school board in Clarksville, Arkansas had authorized more than 20 teachers and administrators – all volunteers – to undergo firearms training so that they could anonymously carry concealed weapons at the start of the 2013-2014 school year as a deterring and protective measure against would-be mass shooters on campus.

But Attorney General Dustin McDaniel issued an advisory opinion ordering the school district to reverse course and abandon the plan. After consulting with board attorneys, Clarksville Superintendent David Hopkins came to the conclusion that the AG’s opinion is incorrect and unenforceable.

There’s the possibility that the State police could intervene to end the program, although Hopkins warned that the school district would take legal action if that happens. About one-third of the faculty haven’t yet gone through their firearms training, nor been deputized, and Hopkins said the State has no legal right to deny their concealed carry permits as part of a strategy to derail the school board’s decision.

Hopkins has publicly rejected the gun-free approach to school safety, saying that hiding and hoping for the best when an active shooter is rampant is “not a plan.”

Each concealed carry employee must pass a 53-hour training course, whereupon he or she will be awarded a $1,100 stipend to buy a handgun and holster. The district is also paying a total of $50,000 for ammunition and training.

H/T: The Daily Caller