Wis. Lawmaker Urges Arming Teachers (source: http://www.reflector.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/National/School_Weapons.html)
MADISON, Wis. — A state lawmaker, worried about a recent string of deadly school shootings, suggested arming teachers, principals and other school personnel as a safety measure and a deterrent.
It might not be politically correct, but it has worked effectively in other countries, Republican Rep. Frank Lasee said Wednesday.
"To make our schools safe for our students to learn, all options should be on the table," he said. "Israel and Thailand have well-trained teachers carrying weapons and keeping their children safe from harm. It can work in Wisconsin."
In Thailand, where officials have been waging a bloody fight with Muslim separatists for the last two years, some teachers carry weapons for self defense as they are viewed as part of the government. In Israel, teachers are not allowed to carry weapons in the school, but security guards at the entrances are armed.
Lasee said he planned to introduce legislation that would allow school personnel to carry concealed weapons. He stressed that it would hinge on school staff members getting strict training on the use of the weapons, and he acknowledged he would have to work around a federal law that bans guns on school grounds.
The director of school safety for Milwaukee Public Schools, Pete Pochowski, opposed the idea.
"Statistically, the safest place for a child to be is in school," Pochowski said. "We have problems in our schools, but not to the point where we need to arm our teachers and principals."
Last week, a 15-year-old Wisconsin student was arrested in the shooting death of Weston Schools Principal John Klang. The criminal complaint said the teen brought guns to school to confront students, teachers and the principal.
What does this mean? ...
What do you think?
Should teachers and administrators ARM themselves to protect them from potential violence from students?
What kind of issues about control and power would ensue?
If schools aren't already prisons, what will they be when employees start carrying guns to enforce law and order?
Would this only increase the violence in schools?
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6 comments:
This is insane. Of course this would increse violence in the schools! If this became the protocol, not only would we have to worry about crazy students bringing guns into schools, we'd also have to worry about teachers/administrators snapping and shooting up the place, not to mention kids accessing these guns which are being put into the schools somehow. Absolutely insane. The fact that someone would even come up with this as a "solution" boggles my mind.
Ditto...
Jeez, I just wanted to teach English, but it looks like I'll have to put my life on the line.
School shooting are terrible, but I somehow doubt that things will improve when a firefight breaks out between the insane gunman and the biology teacher. Call me crazy, but it seems like this could easily lead to MORE students getting shot.
One more thing: Imagine the worst teacher you’ve ever had. Now imagine that person with a gun. Feel safer?
-James
Wow! I had heard about this on a late night show, and I thought it was joke! I can't believe this is even considered an option!!
With school violence a reality now, I wonder how many students we will "lose" to home-schooling. I read some of the posts on Katie's blog about home-schooling, and I agree that there are definite drawbacks, but as a parent and concerned husband, my husband questions me and our daughter going into the public schools. He even suggested me home-schooling her when the Pensylvania shooting happened.
Of course he was only ranting at the insanity of this recent violence, and I would never give up my passion for teaching and my daughter's well-being at a public school, but I do wonder how many other parents are thinking along the same lines as my husband. Will home-schooling numbers increase as a result of the violence?
I have no doubt that more and more parents will pull their kids out of public schooling and find alternate options of education. I don't agree with this but I also don't want to carry a gun. I think I might benefit from some kind of safety training. I don't think school districts should ignore this problem, it's not going to go away. Dawn, schools are already prisons, yes but what can we do? I mean we know what we're going to do to change that on our end. But I'm scared... I'd like to have some kind of knowledge about how to defend myself in a violent situation. I don't think metal detectors are a bad idea. I don't know...
Katie,
A lot of city schools already have metal detectors, and rural schools have different security policies in place (using one door as an entrance and having to sign in/out as a visitor), but what about the schools that were already effected by violence? I'm sure there were safety precautions in those schools as well. Didn't Columbine have metal detectors or something?
I think that teachers are going to have to drastically re-define what schools are, and what means we are going to have to ensure our own safety within those four walls, BUT... the best solution is NOT to end violence with more violence (or possible violence). That is simply not the way to fix this major issue, or we will just perpetuate it until it caves in on itself.
And since freedom in schools is so limited, what do students think about the systems that are in place...schools do become prisons, not places of learning. Should learning have to be so DANGEROUS?
I think not.
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