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Shooters break loose at school bek teachers and principals let thugs posing as students beat up the kids
Eventually they get fed up with it
I’m not saying that is always the case But sounds like you are saying cop presence turn people into shooters that is like saying if there were no cops there would be no crime
Uh, no, that's not what I'm saying at all!
For the record, I am not anti-cop; my son-in-law is a law enforcement officer. I am also not anti-gun, so for any of you who responded thinking I am, please don't automatically think that is why I am concerned.
Huckleberry, your first three sentences I am in agreement with. I think that, instead of going to the extreme (armed cops in schools) focus should be on the kids and how they treat each other. If they can learn at an early age what is not acceptable behavior, and get the kids who bully others some counseling, the result could be no shootings, instead of ignoring the problem and having at least ONE kid dead.
I am especially worried about the mental distress of five and six year-olds. We all know how kids think; they don't think like adults. They are practically unable to 'see the big picture'...much less understand it.
What do parents tell these kids about why there are policemen in their schools? That they are there for their protection? A kid is automatically going to think school is a dangerous place! Instead of being happy to go to school, how many kids will think "I'd rather stay home where I'm safe"? Because that's the way little kids think.
IDK, I'm a product of the "hide under your desk when the nukes start falling" era. Maybe that has some influence on my thought process regarding this issue. Of course, back then the threat wasn't school-specific. We could get bombed anywhere! LOL. I actually think that mind-set contributed to the 60s tumult and change in young adult behavior, as in "live for today because the world is a dangerous place so may as well enjoy it and do what we want now" attitude.
I realize that providing more counselors or lay people to 'keep an eye out' is a long-term solution and will not produce immediate results, but I think it is a mentally and emotionally healthier solution for the children exposed to it.
True, "not everything should be settled with a gun."
HOWEVER, when confronted with a bad person with a gun, which would you rather have in your defense, Dr. Phil or a good guy with a gun?
Personally, I would go for the good guy with a gun! At that point, it is by far too late for a psychological evaluation, IMO.
My school district has an agreement with the city that provides for police officers to be on site. They don't actually employ the officers, but rather the school complex is the officers' assigned beat. The high school, middle school, elementary school, district offices, and bus yard, comprising six thousand or so people, surround a shopping center at the edge of a business district, so it's a very busy area. The high school runs more like a community college than a traditional high school and has an open campus, which means students are out-and-about at all times of the school day. The officers, and I believe there are at least three of them, in addition to a dozen or so additional security team members, are responsible for all three schools. My older two kids knew the officers by name. I live in a state that has had several very high-profile school shootings, so school security is taken very seriously around here, but I can't say that it has ever struck me as feeling like the kids are under guard as if in prison. More like they are members of a community that has police protection just like we do when we're at home and see a patrol car drive by the house.
True, "not everything should be settled with a gun."
HOWEVER, when confronted with a bad person with a gun, which would you rather have in your defense, Dr. Phil or a good guy with a gun?
Personally, I would go for the good guy with a gun! At that point, it is by far too late for a psychological evaluation, IMO.
Don't you think it would be better if an incident like that just never had a chance to happen?
I think we should take the long view and start intervening in the bully's behavior BEFORE it gets to the 'kids who were bullied come back and shoot up the school' phase.
If one researches school shooters, the majority of them were bullied or put down while in school and they are looking for revenge.
I could agree to having armed officers in the two high schools in my district, but NOT in the elementary and middle schools.
If the problem isn't nipped in the bud the situation could (and probably would) escalate until there's a freakin' tank parked outside of schools! (just kidding) But how long would it be before a cop's handgun is deemed 'not enough firepower' and they insist on rifles or shotguns? Not to mention the possibility of an innocent person being killed.
I'm just most concerned with what damage COULD be done to the psyches of kindergartners and young children not feeling safe in schools.
Anyway, I just wanted to get an idea of how parents and teachers felt about this topic. I don't know if any teachers responded; I hope they do, no matter what position they take. Along with parents, they also have to deal with the situation.
Do you feel the same way about your children encountering police officers in public settings, like a park or a shopping mall? Communities employ peace officers, whether police, deputies, or security officers, and that's the way I always presented it to my kids. It's the same kind of situation as seeing an officer in his patrol car monitoring traffic on the busy street outside our house. He's there to maintain order and to ensure everyone is obeying the law of the land. That's all you need to tell your grandchildren. And, of course, schools need counselors. I certainly hope that your school isn't in the position of having to choose one over the other. They serve different purposes.
My school district has an agreement with the city that provides for police officers to be on site. They don't actually employ the officers, but rather the school complex is the officers' assigned beat. The high school, middle school, elementary school, district offices, and bus yard, comprising six thousand or so people, surround a shopping center at the edge of a business district, so it's a very busy area. The high school runs more like a community college than a traditional high school and has an open campus, which means students are out-and-about at all times of the school day. The officers, and I believe there are at least three of them, in addition to a dozen or so additional security team members, are responsible for all three schools. My older two kids knew the officers by name. I live in a state that has had several very high-profile school shootings, so school security is taken very seriously around here, but I can't say that it has ever struck me as feeling like the kids are under guard as if in prison. More like they are members of a community that has police protection just like we do when we're at home and see a patrol car drive by the house.
This is true of the school districts where I live.
A small area with 6,000 people is a town (albeit a town that is mostly children). You would not expect a small town to function without police officers, so why would you expect a complex like this to have no officers. I went to college over 30 years ago, and our state college campus had its own police force. How is this significantly different?
SROs are more than just "good guys with guns." There are many incidents that will pop up on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis that will require their presence, including:
- responding to traffic accidents around campus (those darn teenage drivers)
- writing tickets to MS/HS students who lack judgement and come to school impaired or have stuff they are not supposed to possess like tobacco, alcohol, drugs and weapons.
- filing police reports for small crimes like theft from lockers, cars, offices, etc.; fighting (big fights, not altercations); vandalism, and more.
- filing police reports for mandatory reporting scenarios like abuse, sexual misconduct/assault, and all those nasty things school employees must report when they learn about/suspect them.
The SROs also form relationships with the kids in a positive way, so that not all their interactions with the police are negative.
At my kids' school, the SRO promised to pay a troubled freshman $500 if he stayed out of trouble and graduated on time. The SRO paid up (using his own money) on graduation day in front of the entire senior class before they marched out on stage.
At my kids' school, the SRO promised to pay a troubled freshman $500 if he stayed out of trouble and graduated on time. The SRO paid up (using his own money) on graduation day in front of the entire senior class before they marched out on stage.
Awesome! That's a great story, and good for the young person involved.
My intent with this thread was to solicit opinions from teachers and parents about how they view having armed officers in elementary to high schools.
It wasn't really to argue one way or another. I did give my views, but only so people understood where I was coming from. Maybe I shouldn't have revealed that.
In any case, I don't want to argue about police or guns in general.
Just wanted to get an idea of how parents and teachers feel about having armed people in their schools, which is why I started this thread in the Education forum.
Maybe I should have just started a poll, which would have been more cut and dried, and then have commentary.
"Are you comfortable with armed officers being in elementary, middle, and high schools?" Yes or No.
My school district will be voting on using armed police officers in each school, from elementary to high school.
I am against that, preferring to employ more counselors or others to keep an eye and ear out for kids who are being bullied and resolving those issues with the bully and the bullied. It seems to me that most of the school shooters are children who had been bullied or had bad experiences in school.
I especially do not agree to having armed people in an elementary school!
If your district employs armed officers, how do you feel about it? How do the teachers feel about it?
I do not have children in school any more (I'm retired), but I will have a grandchild in the district.
I'd be interested in both sides of the argument.
The school district I live in is a gold star district, and most people are upper middle class or wealthy.
Thanks for your input. Voting is this Monday night.
Ask the school in FL how well that worked having actual cops there...Yeah, that's snarky in a way. It depends on the individual. I'd like to have an ex cop armed. But one who never fired, that shows they THINK of ways to solve without blasting at the first problem.
"Are you comfortable with armed officers being in elementary, middle, and high schools?" Yes or No.
Yes, I'm absolutely fine with my school district having SROs on campus.
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