(03-21-2018, 11:49 AM)B2hibry Wrote:

(03-21-2018, 11:37 AM)pirkster Wrote: IMO, the better of the ideas shared is that those teachers would be allowed to apply and qualify voluntarily for that responsibility and not required to do so.

I agree that armed resources not including teachers should be a staple of any safety plan, I just feel qualified and trained volunteer teachers would make such a plan even safer.  If it's a small school without any qualified or interested participant teachers, then that's not a problem.  Armed resources would still be staffed.  I see teachers as a supplement, and not the core security force.  I would be surprised if that wasn't the intent of those who are supporting the idea as well.  Those opposing such ideas can be extremely (and purposefully) misleading and misrepresentative of the facts.

I can see it as an alternative for after-school activities perhaps, but really see it introducing more issues than help during school hours. How many times do we see in the news some teacher getting the snot beat out of them in a classroom setting? Imagine a student discovering that teacher had a sidearm in that very situation. In reality, no armed individual should be alone in an environment that thrives on a pack mentality. Also, most of these shooting take place going from the outside-in, where teachers aren't. Perhaps just arming willing and qualified administrators? What I can appreciate in all this, is that a discussion is being sparked to how best to finally address a situation that isn't new and doesn't automatically assume no guns, no knives, no bats= no problem.

In my perspective, not knowing which teachers were armed - but knowing the possibility that the teacher could be, would likely deter and curb aggressive behavior towards teachers.

Students attacking teachers is an indicator of a problem administration who can't keep school order, because they've slowly lost their ability to keep order over time.  In that case, they need to clean house on that administration and start over.  It's always easier to ease up than tighten down.  So, to change a culture of no discipline you have to make wholesale changes to the administration and staff.  That's not a gun issue, it's a poor school discipline/management issue.

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