When classes at Clarksville High School resume in August assistant principle Cheyne Dougan will be among the more than 20 teachers, administrators and other employees in the school district carrying concealed weapons.
After a school shooting in Connecticut last December that left 20 children and six teachers dead, the idea of arming schoolhouses against gunmen was hotly debated across the country.
The National Rifle Association declared it the best response to serious threats. But even in the most conservative states, most proposals faltered in the face of resistance from educators or warnings from insurance companies that schools would face higher premiums.
Making use of a little-known Arkansas law that allows licensed, armed security guards on campus, Dougan and other teachers at the school will be considered guards.
Why anybody would take school safety advice from a lobby that represents gun manufacturers is beyond me. You know if they had solicited advice from a lobby representing guard dog companies, every child would now be provided a German shepherd or rottweiler.
Which, by the way, would be infinitely more effective than giving old Mrs. Lundquist down the hall a Beretta, with the instructions "Don't shoot any of the kids."
However not EVERYBODY in Arkansas embraces the Wyuatt Earp teaching model.
State officials are not blocking Clarksville’s plan, but Arkansas Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell is opposed to the idea of arming teachers and staff. He prefers to hire law enforcement officers as school resource officers.
There are other dissenters, too. Donna Morey, former president of the Arkansas Education Association, called the idea of arming teachers “awful.” The risk of a student accidentally getting shot or obtaining a gun outweighs any benefits, she said.
Gee ya think?
Well I foresee a definite upsurge in purchases of these things.
And THESE are the people we are trusting to educate our children.
I hate to say this but if your children are attending this school, or one that follows suit, I totally support your choice of placing them in a private school, or, and I can't believe I am saying this, homeschooling them.
After all being raised in ignorance beats being shot in the head by your educator any day.
Nothing good can come of this.
ReplyDeleteSome kid sets off a firecracker somewhere in or around the school----and a nervous teacher who has had too much stress and coffee could take out half the the student body.
Far worse than that, couple an unstable, armed teacher who is ticked off at a particular student and goes off on her. This happened in my 8th grade class, minus the gun. The teacher (a nun) beat the female student with her fists in front of our entire class. If she'd been armed, the girl would have been shot. I have not doubt of that. The girl ran out the back door of the classroom (in CA our classroom had two outside doors) and the nun ran after her. The girl was faster and she made it around the building and into the other door. Both were locked and we stayed in there until the cops came. Each classroom had a phone and one of the kids, another teacher's child, knew how to get an outside line. The girl called her father (a prominent donor to the parish) and the cops showed up.
DeleteThis woman had been doing crap like this for months but no one believed us until she lost her mind. I shudder to think what would happen today if some teacher at the end of his or her tether was armed and lost it. That's a far more likely situation than a firecracker.
Hey, Griffin, you forgot the Guardian Chair from the company Neutral Posture. It comes with a detachable Kevlar vest. Probably costs an arm and a leg. I have several teachers in my immediate family and they have said that arming teachers is a horrible idea. Arming teachers is not a solution but an excuse to avoid real solutions. Over the years the NRA has had some bad ideas that keep getting pushed through; Stand your ground, weapons in National Parks, concealed weapons reciprocity and now this. Just brilliant.
ReplyDeleteRepublican-linked organization that represents the gun manufacturers' industry and also funds Republican political candidates, aka the NRA, suggests that guns be placed in every school in America, thus hoping to bolster Republican campaign contributions by a factor of around 2 bazillion. Check.
DeleteRepublican politicians recommend that children in all schools protect themselves by using bullet-proof backpacks – which just happen to be manufactured by an industry that contributes heavily to republican politicians. Check.
Claiming that no bodily harm could possibly result from such a scheme, republicans vote unanimously, for the 40th time, to repeal Obamacare. Check.
Yes, they really are that stupid. Yes, they really are that evil.
Will these teachers see a raise in pay?
ReplyDeleteI would consider being an armed guard in addition to being a teacher would warrant an increase in pay and the same retirement benefits as other LE officers.
I can see many awful scenarios with this strategy.
ReplyDeleteThe gun lobby is making a killing.
ReplyDeleteLiterally.
Delete"After all being raised in ignorance beats being shot in the head by your educator any day."
ReplyDeleteStill at it, IGNORANT GRYPHEN, I see. You might want to go back and read the comments on that earlier homeschooling article.
Still at it, IGNORANT GRYPHEN, I see.
DeleteStill at what? Are you here to contribute to the discussion, or just to insult the blogger? Is there some area of knowledge that—according to you—you know and he doesn't, or are you just trying to be demeaning?
Get over yourself. I know of several kids being home schooled because their university educated parents want them to have the finest education possible.
DeleteWhen most people criticize home schooling they are thinking about the noisy people in the news demanding the right to home school in order to actually prevent their children from being educated. And this is the home schooling that Gryphen is talking about.
I don't have any problem keeping these two rationales for home schooling separate.
And teachers, like many others can have psychiatric conditions and disorders (I knew on hgih school table in the teachers lounge that did their round of "happy pills before going bck to the classroom. In another incident, a teacher showed up in her underwear and a robe - had taken cold meds with her happy pills (PROZAC).
ReplyDeleteO/T Gryphen but hilarity is ensuing at the Asylum! Baldy was on InSannity show tonight for like a minute...via the phone! No video...no scary wig...no facial tics accompanied by dog snarls....and the bots are losing their shit!
ReplyDeleteHere's a couple of boobs trying to figure it out WTF happened! LOL!!
"socon blueniner • 3 minutes ago −
That's almost insulting. Sarah gets a couple of minutes by phone and Rove's blimp face is on forever.
blueniner • 4 minutes ago −
Is FOX cutting costs? phone lines dont cut it, sorry.
virginiagentleman1 • 7 minutes ago
Hmmm. No new ground covered in this interview, more of a rehash of the past few FNC interviews. What's up with FNC anyway?
I agree with RedDaveR, he smells a rat and I do too!
myfairlady virginiagentleman1 • 4 minutes ago −
What the heck is going on here. Rove gets 2 segments. This is not right. Did the satellite go down in fear of the Redneck Whiteboard? I smell a rat too!
virginiagentleman1 • 16 minutes ago
Yet ANOTHER terribly short interview! If this is a pattern for Ailes and FNC, I don't like it at all!"
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...stupid ass Baldy done tore her flat ass with that stupid stunt on CrookedFace's show....now she's calling in on a static filled phone!
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...some more!
Now all the P's have put their jammies on and gotten back into bed with Rush Limbaugh, whom they absolutely hated not too long ago. He was on Greta tonight and had favorable things to say about Cruz and Palin and it made the cult sit up and pay attention and think he's just an awesome guy.
DeleteThey're all like "well, I guess Rush wasn't as bad as we thought because he loves him some Palin and Cruz".
News Flash C4P, Rush's radio show is being cancelled and he's desperately trying to recraft his message and get ANYONE on board with him at this point. Rush is really going to regret getting the Palin cult on board with him though. That whole thing about lying with dogs and getting fleas will become his reality, and when they turn on him again, he'll rue the day he ever romanced them.
Here's the video of Baldy tonight!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GlmvMRJmY5w
"The three R's now being taught in at least one Arkansas public school ARE reading, 'riting, and return fire"
ReplyDeleteSuddenly, the assbackwardness of homeschooling takes on a whole different perspective.
ReplyDeleteI guess shooting the bad kids is the new corporal punishment?
ReplyDeleteHow does this foster an effective learning environment? I can't imagine any child living with constant reminders and fear of what might or night not happen. I don't even see any deterrent factor with this brilliant brain fart scam.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57596252/ark-district-arming-more-than-20-teachers-staff/?pageNum=2
ReplyDelete"Participants in the program are given a one-time $1,100 stipend to purchase a handgun and holster. Hopkins said the district is paying about $50,000 for ammunition and for training by Nighthawk Custom Training Academy, a private training facility in northwest Arkansas."
I wonder how much the district is spending on psychiatric evaluations to determine whether "participants" can safely handle firearms under stress.
So if there are around twenty teachers who are being armed, then that is around $22,000 plus the $50,000 for ammo and training. So where is the 70 grand coming from. I doubt they had bake sales or car washes so it has to be coming out of the district budget. Since it is a new expenditure then obviously there has to be cuts somewhere else. Or they had excess money but what school district does? Maybe cut a couple of teachers to make up the difference?
DeleteGiving an average adult teacher a handgun with holster, and sending them to a typical "this is a weapon" class is a recipe for failure.
DeletePolice, military, special forces, or anyone who wants to be competent with a weapon has to train all the time, and use the weapon in various scenarios to have any hope of preventing a tragedy, or shooting student instead of the bad guy.
To be able to respond to a threat with good judgement in a crisis is a real skill, and it can't be learned in just one class.
It takes constant training and refresher courses. With today's ammo costing much more than it used to, it's expensive to stay sharp with your firearms, and most of us will need to visit a firing range to do that.
And let's face it, some people are great with mechanical and physical devices, and others are klutzy beyond hope.
Hiring a trained police officer to be on duty in the school, or splitting her/his time between schools is one thing, but expecting
Poindexter or old Mrs Lundquist to use anything but a squirt gun is just stupid.
Nighthawk Custom Training has an "Urban Rifle" class
ReplyDeletehttp://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e6v9j13v6f51a661
...All students must bring their own safety equipment, including safety glasses, hearing protection, and a baseball cap. ...
Under what conditions does a baseball cap qualify as safety equipment?
Since most of the school shootings involve a student shooter (Newtown was an outlier), I am curious how successful it will be to assume that teachers will choose to shoot and kill someone who is a child, a student, and (probably) someone they know.
ReplyDeleteThe facile approach gun-nuts have to this, is to assume that arming the "good" guys means that when there's a shooting crisis, the good guys will just instinctively act to shoot and kill the shooter - in reality, I think this is a tragic choice, and in such situations the shooter may be a domestic partner, a spouse, a child or parent, a co-worker of someone who has become an armed "protector."
I know if I were in a shooter situation and found myself in danger of being shot by a person I knew and cared about, I would probably hesitate before killing them. It would probably cause my death. But even so, I can say that putting individuals in a position of being held responsible to put to death people that they may know and love is a terrible thing - and certainly should not be public policy.
I wonder how the school's insurance carrier will handle this situation. Will the school district pass on the increased premiums to the tax payer or will it be a catalyst for them to rethink this high risk situation.
ReplyDeleteIf someone is shooting with a weapon that shoots 1200 rounds per minute, I doubt very much that crouching down with a backpack in front of you will offer much protection. What kind of loonies think that these are rational solutions to the threat of too many people having access to too many kinds of killing machines. I'd much rather see really tough gun laws and the recall of the military-style weapons that seem to have proliferated over the past few years.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
So you are wanting tougher gun laws, when you move to Chicago, and walk to the store at dusk
Delete.. let us know how that goes for you. Or talk to ...anyone about the crime, rapes, robberies...or better yet the man who was fined $700 for shooting a gun in his own home to a robber who also had a gun, yet it is our constitutionally protected right to protect ourselves, thisly....you post then, and I'll listen to you idiocy.
like if you could feed such gun with 1200 bullets ... oh my. if you don'twant any good person with guns move to brazil, then get the teachers slapped in the face, drug and crime lords at school door and no one to protect or self protect... leftists...
DeleteCue loss of coverage or a HUGE increase in costs as soon as their insurance company hears about this shit.
ReplyDeleteI am encouraged by this development. There are several teachers that I would trust to handle a gun, in an emergency situation.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather keep the teachers alive to teach the kids. Besides in a shootout in a classroom, there would probably be lots of kids between the good guy and the bad guy. This is a dumb idea. But leave it to a state like Arkansas.
DeleteBeaglemom
What will happen to the kid hiding behind the backpack if they get shot? The bullet will knock them on their backside then the shooter will have a clean shot of the kid. That is a stupid idea.
ReplyDeleteMel68
You know what I find funny, A few years ago there was a fight between the lunch ladies at my grandsons grade school. I guess if they were armed they would have had a gun fight. I think everyone should ask about the insurance of the school, with having guns. I would tell them point blank You are responsible, just like anyone gets hurt on my property I'm responsible. I'll hold you and the school board responsible for any gun shots going into the children. I guess ask anyone setting foot on your property if they are carrying, no guns allowed on my private property, so I can't get sued.
ReplyDeleteSarah's buttboy Cruz is getting a new asshole torn by reasonable people:
ReplyDeleteMorning Joe Panel Tears Into ‘Train Wreck’ Ted Cruz
“Have you seen what Ted Cruz is doing?” Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough said Wednesday morning. “Ted Cruz is attacking anybody who’s not willing to shut down the government over the government over Obamacare. He’s lambasting fellow conservatives like Tom Coburn—Tom Coburn!—and saying that he serves in the surrender caucus.”
“I need to be very careful about what I’m going to say here,” Scarborough continued. “Ted Cruz comes in obviously so completely ignorant about the war that Tom Coburn has been fighting for twenty years, and to say something like this about Tom Coburn—Ted Cruz, he is a total train wreck. He is comparing Mitch McConnell to Barack Obama. He is attacking Tom Coburn as being a member of the surrender caucus, when Tom Coburn—and yes, Senator Cruz, and I—put our political lives on the line more in six months than Ted Cruz will put his on the line in a lifetime.”
“If I were Ted Cruz, I would be extremely cautious about getting into the ring with Tom Coburn,” Mike Barnicle said. “Ted Cruz would end up being Kid Candle in that fight. One blow, and he will be out against Tom Coburn.”
“Jon Favreau’s written a great piece in the Daily Beast
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/07/30/jon-favreau-on-the-destructive-rise-of-the-no-government-conservatives.html
about this whole trend now about not the small government conservative, but the no government conservative,” said Tina Brown, editor of the Daily Beast. “That is what Tom Cruz is a member of. This is the Taliban.”
Watch the entire segment here, via MSNBC:
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/morning-joe-panel-tears-into-train-wreck-ted-cruz-completely-ignorant-this-is-the-taliban/
Obama Tells Republicans To Shove It As He Implements His Agenda Without Them
ReplyDeletePresident Obama is done caring about what congressional Republicans think. The president is meeting with Democrats in order to implement his agenda without them.
http://www.politicususa.com/2013/07/31/obama-tells-congress-shove-implements-agenda.html