“Please be aware that the staff at Medina ISD may be armed and will use whatever force is necessary to protect our students,” a sign outside the Medina Independent School District northwest of San Antonio now reads.

The message gained popularity after being posted on local newspaper The Bandera Bulletin’s Facebook page last week.

A Medina school board member told CNN there’s no specific threat they’re trying to address, just the “general environment nationally.”

The school’s superintendent Penny White said the sign should be a good deterrent against a potential criminal element.

“I think that anybody who might have a thought about harming someone in mind might think twice about it,” she said, adding “the school district’s somewhat remote location in a rural part of the state was another factor in erecting the sign,” according to CNN.

For now there’s only one sign at the entrance of one of their schools, but officials promise more are forthcoming.

Comments on Facebook regarding the pro-active message were overwhelmingly positive:

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