Arming Teachers Locally

In a troubling sign of the times, the News-Gazette interviewed local teachers and their opinions on plans to encourage and support armed teachers to deter and/or kill armed mass shooters:

Teachers: Arming us would spell nothing but trouble
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 To get a sense of where local educators stand on the issue, The News-Gazette surveyed 70 of them, representing 46 different schools — public and private, rural and urban, elementary through high school, based in seven area counties. (Nearly three dozen other teachers and principals declined to go on record with their stance, most of them citing the sensitivity of the topic as the reason).

Opinions are those of the educators and not the schools that employ them.

What we found: — 57 of the 70 were adamantly opposed to any plan that involves teachers having guns.

— Five said they strongly support the idea.

— Three backed a version that doesn’t include every teacher being armed.

— Two said they wouldn’t object if it came to that, two others would prefer that taxpayers or state legislators make the decision, and one was in the undecided camp.

All agreed on one point, expressed by Oakwood Grade School teacher Lacey Boen: “I am saddened by what our society now has to face.”

Here, in area teachers’ own words, are why more than 80 percent of them believe there must be a better alternative.

There was a second piece with several more interviews with teachers thoughts on the subject here.