Are you in favor of Armed Gaurds in Schools?

[FSWer]

Ok,they have been talking about this on the News. So I thought I would try turning it into a Thread. But..in the aftermath oth the Sandy Hook School Shooting..are you in favor of Armed Gaurds in Schools?

[Buzz]

I say hire Art teachers instead of armed guards.

[DAngel]

To Art teachers

[PeterG]

MAKE ART NOT WAR!!!

[PrincessLeppard]

Okay, I'm a teacher, so I'll answer this the best I can. For about seven years, my school (I teach high school) had a police officer in the school and he carried a gun. And a taser. The kids were more frightened of the taser, interestingly. I don't like guns, but I'd like to assume (though I know I could be utterly wrong) that are cops are pretty well trained in gun use, and I wasn't worried about him shooting anyone.

I would worry a bit more about an armed security guard, because sometimes (not always!) security guards are cop wannabes who didn't make the cut, and I would prefer that those people not have access to anything more dangerous than string.

And also remember, there was an armed officer at Columbine, for all the good that did.

So I guess my point is, am I in favor of armed guards in schools? No. But having one in my school wasn't some big trauma, either.

[heckles]

If we start arming gaurds, it's only fair to arm pumpkins too.

[Rob]

Gourds?

[heckles]

Gourds?

Glad someone got it.

[Wyliefan]

I say hire Art teachers instead of armed guards.

What, because it's easy to take down a shooter with a paintbrush?

Or were you thinking of that "draw a gun" bit from Looney Tunes?

[Wiery]

I"m still undecided about this one. My first thought is yes, let's put armed guards in schools. However, we had a full-time armed policeman at my son's middle school, and one boy shot and killed another boy in the hallway execution style several years ago. The murder happened in the blink of an eye, before the policeman or any other person could react; so my point is that a lot of damage can be done in a very short time with just a small pistol. The policeman was in another hallway. Knowledge of an armed guard isn't necessarily a deterrant either; the child knew there was a school police officer, but he knew he wasn't in the hallway at that particular time and acted quickly. Armed guards might help, but they're not the complete guarantee of safety that some people think they are.

Also, the money's got to come from somewhere to pay for the guards. Folks don't want to pay more taxes, so programs, staff, and materials might get cut.

However, my ears are open to compelling arguments from all sides of this discussion.

[heckles]

However, my ears are open to compelling arguments from all sides of this discussion.

At any event in which there are 1,000 people moving about, whether it's a concert or festival, you tend to have several armed guards and/or policemen, and few people think that's a bad idea. Some high schools can have the same number of people choking narrow hallways every hour, but society is freaked out about having a guard placed in that setting. Hypocritical?

[milanessa]

Hypocritical?

Nope

[cruisin]

Glad someone got it.

A pumpkin is a gourd.

I'm conflicted. I have no strong opinion either way. I do think, however, that more than armed guards, schools need security. Doors need to be locked and bullet proof. It would also be necessary that the doors lock, preventing entrance, but not exit. There should only be one accessible entrance, directly to the main office (with/without a guard). Anyone entering a school should have to prove they belong there. That said, that will not protect students from other students. Maybe metal detectors?

I don't want our schools to become prisons, but we have to protect our children.

[Badams]

A pumpkin is a gourd.

I'm conflicted. I have no strong opinion either way. I do think, however, that more than armed guards, schools need security. Doors need to be locked and bullet proof. It would also be necessary that the doors lock, preventing entrance, but not exit. There should only be one accessible entrance, directly to the main office (with/without a guard). Anyone entering a school should have to prove they belong there. That said, that will not protect students from other students. Maybe metal detectors?

I don't want our schools to become prisons, but we have to protect our children.

That sounds pretty close to prison to me.

[heckles]

There should only be one accessible entrance, directly to the main office (with/without a guard). Anyone entering a school should have to prove they belong there.

The problem with that system is that most students arrive at about the same time each day. It seems rather Orwellian to make hundreds of children line up outside in poor weather in order to access one designated entry.

[Really]

We have an RCMP officer who is at our school one day a week. She teaches the DARE program and is just a presence in the school on a regular basis. She always has her weapon on her, but that's her job. She's not there as a guard, she's there to interact with the kids and help them feel comfortable around the police.

Do I want armed guards in our school? Absofrigginlutely NOT!

[cruisin]

That sounds pretty close to prison to me.

The problem with that system is that most students arrive at about the same time each day. It seems rather Orwellian to make hundreds of children line up outside in poor weather in order to access one designated entry.

And these are reasons why I am conflicted. Like it or not, we live in a world where monsters attack school children in school. Do we do nothing? One armed guard probably will be of little help. They can't be everywhere, and there is no way of knowing where an attack could occur. I understand that having only one accessible entrance could seem prisonlike/Orwellian. However, the schools in our town have done this for years. 90% of the kids in our town are bussed, possibly that makes it flow better. The main entrance is unlocked, all other doors are unlocked for exit, but locked for entrance. There is a desk in the foyer, with a teacher directing anyone who is not a student to the main office. But, this would not address the student killer. Metal detectors could prevent guns from getting into the buildings. Another thing that we need to do is not turn the murderer into a "celebrity". Never mention their name. A sick mind could be looking for the attention and "celebrity" and figure that it worked for others, so... Don't give it to them.

[heckles]

One armed guard probably will be of little help. They can't be everywhere, and there is no way of knowing where an attack could occur.

I agree that one guard will be rather ineffective in a situation with 1,000 or more people. If a large school decides to go that route, there would need to be more than one.

A problem I see with your single-entry idea is that there would need to be monitoring of the students while they line up. You make a reference earlier to how students need to be protected from outsiders, but also from each other. Student-on-student harassment is at its worst when they're in an involuntary situation in which the target feels he or she cannot easily escape. A mandatory security line would have that problem.

[cruisin]

I agree that one guard will be rather ineffective in a situation with 1,000 or more people. If a large school decides to go that route, there would need to be more than one.

A problem I see with your single-entry idea is that there would need to be monitoring of the students while they line up. You make a reference earlier to how students need to be protected from outsiders, but also from each other. Student-on-student harassment is at its worst when they're in an involuntary situation in which the target feels he or she cannot easily escape. A mandatory security line would have that problem.

I agree. However, the students would not be prevented from exiting any door in the building. And, at least in the schools here, the main entrance has several doors. I've never seen a jam up when the busses arrive. I don't know if this is the best answer, It just seems we need to do something. I would hate to learn of another school massacre, knowing something might have been done to prevent it. There are so many obstacles. We don't want to create a prisonlike atmosphere. We don't want guns, that can get into the wrong hands, or be carried by inexperienced people, in the schools. We don't want to profile kids. What can we do to head this sort of thing off?

[heckles]

I agree. However, the students would not be prevented from exiting any door in the building. And, at least in the schools here, the main entrance has several doors. I've never seen a jam up when the busses arrive.

I suspect if a single metal detector is put in place, entry will be much slower and restricted to only one door, thus creating a line-up. I suppose more detectors could be put in, but then that gets pricy. There would also be the issue of students socializing by exit-designated doors in the morning, noticing friends walking by outside, and letting those friends in. Would those students be punished for being kind? The lack of kindness in schools seems to be one of the root causes of some of these shootings.