When school starts this fall in Clarksville, Ark., more than 20 teachers and other school employees will be armed with concealed firearms, according to the Associated Press.
In order to be better prepared in the event of a school shooting much like the one in Newtown, Conn., last December the school district is making use of a little known Arkansas law that allows for armed security guards on school campuses. This summer teachers and administrators are going through 53 hours of training in order to qualify as security guards, according to the Associated Press.
"The plan we've been given in the past is 'Well, lock your doors, turn off your lights and hope for the best,'" Superintendent David Hopkins said. "That's not a plan."
Clarksville is a small town of 9,200 people that had never really had any problems with violence in their schools. Yet after last year's shooting Hopkins received calls from many parents wondering what could be done to make their children safer. That's when Hopkins got the idea to arm teachers instead of relying on one or two guards in case of an incident, reports the Associated Press.
"We're not tying our money up in a guard 24/7 that we won't have to have unless something happens," Hopkins said. "We've got these people who are already hired and using them in other areas. Hopefully we'll never have to use them as a security guard."
The school district may not be using money to pay security guards but they are spending a great deal on the program to arm their teachers. Each participant in the program is given $1,000 to buy a gun and holster. The training program, which is also paid for by the school district, costs roughly $50,000, according to the Associated Press.
The former director of the Arkansas Education Association, Donna Morey, told the Associated Press that she that the risk of a student being shot accidentally or a violent student obtaining a gun off of a teacher is far greater than the benefits provided by armed teachers.
"We just think educators should be in the business of educating students, not carrying a weapon," Morey said.
Not all parents were thrilled by the new program. Sherry Wommack made the decision to remove her son from Clarksville's schools because she doesn't trust teachers to make decisions involving firearms, according to the Associated Press.
"I think police officers are trained to make those decisions, not teachers," Wommack said.
