(My new American Thinker post)
The Keller Independent School District, in the western side of the Dallas-Ft Worth metro area, has decided to allow some teachers and school employees to carry a gun. This is the story:
A North Texas school district has decided to move forward with a controversial school security idea despite protests.
Keller ISD has voted to change its policy so teachers and other school employees could be authorized to carry weapons. This will be the largest school district in North Texas to implement a guardian program.
Proponents say it could offer two to three minutes of armed response before police arrive. Opponents say a district survey found that teachers overwhelmingly don't want the responsibility.
I like the idea because it gives the teachers or others in the school the opportunity to stop the shooter. Let's be honest and recognize that no option is perfect. At the same time, this is about giving well-trained good guys a weapon and boosting the odds of saving kids' lives.
As we saw in Uvalde, once the killer is in the campus he will shoot at will unless a teacher can disable or stop him. This is why it's critical to stop it as soon as possible rather than engage in theoretical debates about having teachers carry books rather than guns. Of course, we want our teachers to carry books, but you can't stop a killer by throwing your book at him. Furthermore, this program is based on Texas law, as we see in this story:
The purpose of Texas’ school safety program known as the “guardian plan” is to train select school employees who hold handgun licenses, and who volunteer to participate, how to defend against an active shooter until law enforcement arrives.
“This program is voluntary, strongly selective, and requires a great deal of training and full cooperation with law enforcement officers,” said Keller parent Joel Starnes, who endorses the district’s participation in the program.
“We put a lot of trust in our teachers, as our children are sent to their care five days a week,” he said. “This provides them with more safety options to not only protect our kids, but also themselves.”
My kids are no longer in middle or high school but my grandchildren will be in a few years. I'm happy to see a school district look beyond the rhetoric and care about the kids' lives. Last, but not least, don't forget to lock the doors in the campus.
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