Should Teachers and staff at schools be armed?

Standard #3:The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation. Name of Artifact: Current Events in Education PowerPoint Date: April, 9, 2014 Course: EDUC 101 Brief Description: For this assignment I researched whether guns should be allowed in schools and whether this would make the learning environment safer. Rationale: To document my understanding of Standard #3 Learning Environment I included current issues in education PowerPoint because this assignment required me to research whether guns would make a safe school environment.

The Arkansas Christian Academy in Bryant, Arkansas, is making national headlines after it announced that some staff members will be armed with guns. there was Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke Jr. who recently created a national uproar for urging citizens to learn how to handle firearms so they can defend themselves, because he says, "simply calling 911 and waiting is no longer your best option." Spartanburg County South Carolina Sheriff Chuck Wright says, "Our form of justice is not making it. Carry a concealed weapon. That'll fix it." He's also been quoted in many other instances in favor of more guns. Then there was the Pearl High School shooting in 1997 when a student killed two classmates and injured seven others at his high school. An assistant principal, who was armed, intervened and held the shooter at gun point until police arrived, and undoubtedly prevented more people from being killed.

Jina Kim, who teachers fourth grade at E.C. Reems Academy in Oakland, said she and her young students hear gunshots on a routine basis. “There’s gunshots all the time. We see guns," Kim said. "There’s shootings right down the block to the left and right of us. It happens so frequently that at this point, it’s not even a shock.” Despite that, Kim doesn’t like the idea of even allowing school districts to decide whether to allow armed employees on campus. “I just think having guns anywhere accessible to kids, whether safeguarded or not – kids very resourceful and they can find their own ways in," she said. "So, it would make me very uncomfortable.” She pointed to the school’s unarmed private security guard and his post at the front gate of the school as one of the best security measures. Talking about firearms on campus, she said, goes too far.

While supporters call it a necessary self-defense and deterrent measure, opponents fear allowing teachers to carry concealed guns will lead to more campus violence. "It sends a bad message to students to think you can carry guns wherever you are, it's not," said Raschella Lampkins, Redwater, Texas resident. However, parent Donald McGee of Redwater, Texas doesn't have a problem with it, as long as the staff is properly trained. "They have to be able to protect themselves, and if they're going through a program and they're going to arm themselves at school, they're doing it to protect our children," said McGee. Redwater ISD Superintendent Bob Wheeley says security is always on their minds, but they're still considering the pros and cons to all options. "If it's teachers your going to arm, a school marshal, or your own police force, its all about training and making sure people understand when force is necessary." said Wheeley.

Columbine (CNN) -- Here is some background information about the deaths of 13 people at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado on April 20, Twelve students and one teacher were killed by students Dylan Klebold, 17, and Eric Harris, 18. The pair made home videos prior to the attack making references to what they were going to do and apologizing to their parents for it. Harris and Klebold killed themselves with gunshot wounds to the head in the school's library at approximately 12:08 PM on the day of the shootings. SWAT teams entered the school 47 minutes after the shootings started. Five hours passed before law enforcement declared the school under control. The Columbine shootings rank as one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history as well as one of the deadliest episodes of school violence. Sandy Hook Hochsprung heard loud pops. She, school psychologist Mary Sherlach and vice principal Natalie Hammond went out to investigate. Only Hammond returned from the hallway alive. She was wounded. At about 9:30 a.m., as announcements were read over the loudspeaker to the students, shots were heard across the school. Students described being ushered into bathrooms and closets by teachers after hearing the first shots. Lanza moved toward two classrooms of kindergartners and first-graders, police said. In one classroom was Lauren Rousseau, a substitute teacher who was filling in for a teacher out on maternity leave. The gunman shot all 14 students in the classroom, law enforcement officers said. In another classroom, Victoria Soto, 27, moved her first-grade students away from the door. The gunman burst in and shot her, according to the father of a surviving student. Six students were killed in that classroom. Pa High School MURRYSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — Flailing away with two kitchen knives, a 16-year-old boy with a “blank expression” stabbed and slashed 21 students and a security guard in the crowded halls of his suburban Pittsburgh high school Wednesday before an assistant principal tackled him. At least five students were critically wounded, including a boy whose liver was pierced by a knife thrust that narrowly missed his heart and aorta, doctors said. Others also suffered deep abdominal puncture wounds.

Yes, I truly think it is the best option to do so. The reason being that there is violence, robbery, and vandalism. As of all things the kids didn't really have to know about a gun. They should just keep a Taser or a handgun in one of the teacher's drawers. Of course the teachers have to learn how to use a gun and its safety regulations, but really people? It's not like the teachers are going to shoot the students. There's no point into killing a dozen of children. Teachers aren't Guards! Purchasing ammunition and guns for every teacher, teachers who don't know how to use guns, thus requiring training, is, for starters, too expensive! Besides, there is certainly a higher chance that leaving a gun in a some American classrooms is a bad idea. If you have a student who is bigger than a teacher, and the policy is "Don't kill your own students," then what is a teacher to do if a student wants the gun? Some of the people on this site really don't think very deeply about the situations. There's a much higher chance of accidents occurring then mass shootings for heaven's sake! Yes Recently after the shooting in Connecticut on 12/14/12. It raised the question, more gun control or more armed people. I vote armed people as what kind of person that wants to rob a bank gets it legally? Nobody. Also the guns didn't belong to the psycho but rather his mom so gun control couldn't help that. We just need more teachers or guards with guns at schools and more proper safety classes Teachers SHOULD NOT be armed We cannot trust teachers to take situations into their own hands. It doesn't make sense. A teacher who is armed could get angry at a student for a simple reason and injure them. Teachers already have a sense of power over the students and if we give them the right to have a gun, that's giving them even more power. Who knows, one teacher might abuse that power. We should leave it up to trained professionals to handle problems like that. Teachers are trained to teach and that's what they are suppose to do, nothing else. Ridiculous, Nonsense, Stupidity. Teachers should not be armed. They could lose control and go on a shooting spree around the school. Schools should have security guards or Taser guns instead. Having armed teachers at schools will send a bad message to younger students being that violence and weaponry is okay, which it isn't. Arm the Protectors Schools will never be made safe for children until they are made dangerous for criminals. A teacher who wants to be armed should be armed. If a teacher isn't responsible enough to have a gun, he or she isn't responsible enough to teach. Most teachers have a strong protective instinct.

Have schools become an easy target for attackers because of their lack of security? Would arming teachers stop violence in schools?

Chuang, Stephanie. "Should Teachers Be Armed?." NBC Bay Area. N.p., 20 Mar Web... CNN Library. "Columbine High School Shootings Fast Facts." CNN. Cable News Network, 12 Apr Web... Gentilviso, Chris. "Clarksville, Arkansas School District Opts For Armed Teachers, Staff." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 July Web... Parr, Julie. "Should teachers carry guns in school?." - KTBS.com. N.p., 6 Nov Web... "Sandy Hook Elementary shooting: What happened?." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web... Siebold, Steve. "Every Teacher in America Should Have a Gun." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 22 Aug Web... "Stabbing, Slashing Spree At Pa. High School Leaves 24 Injured - CBS Philly." CBS Philly. N.p., 9 Apr Web. 16 Apr