Guns don't belong in schools

There are a lot of things educators need. They need unlimited paper, markers, books, pens, glue, multicolored construction paper, and high-speed internet. They need more preparation time, more respect, more salary, better benefits, and smaller classes.

But they don’t need guns.

Recently, the Spirit Lake Community School District Board voted unanimously to train and arm 10 non-teachers with concealed weapons. Those armed will not be identified, and since they won’t be teachers, I guess they’ll be custodians, secretaries, and administrators.

Over my 38 years in education, I’ve seen quite a few examples of good people making bad decisions in public schools. Administrators go to an out-of-town seminar and come home with the “latest and greatest ideas,” they believe would revolutionize teaching. We called them “Flavor of the month.” But none of the “Flavors of the month” involved the risk Spirit Lake has chosen.

Here are five specific reasons the good people in Spirit Lake are making a bad decision.

First, guns simply don’t belong in school. The motto, “Only a good guy can stop a bad guy with a gun,” may be a good slogan for a gun dealer or a pro-gun group, but it doesn’t fit a school and there’s no evidence it’s even true. In fact, Uvalde, Texas showed us that even highly trained police officers armed with weapons of war, hesitated instead of engaging.

Second, it will take about 30 seconds for everyone at school to know who is armed. There are no secrets in a school building. If anonymity is for the element of surprise, surprise it won’t work. Kids will know whose packing and where the weapon is concealed or stored. The loaded weapons will intrigue students and they’ll naturally be curious. Curiosity can lead to disaster.

Third, what if these trained individuals overreact? Sometimes kids with emotional problems insult and even assault educators. It certainly may be criminal, but should it carry a death sentence if someone overreacts? One student hurt or killed is one too many. Schools need to be a safe place and weapons already in the building is an unnecessary risk.

In my job as an educator advocate, I had some pretty tough meetings with principals and superintendents, and sometimes those meetings became emotional and overheated. If guns were in the mix, there could have been a whole new level of danger.

Fourth, unless these armed individuals are packing an AR-15 slung over their shoulders, they’ll be out gunned by an intruder. The most common weapon used for an attack is an assault-style rife, not a pistol. A bullet from an AR-15-style rifle travels three times the speed of sound. Having people armed with pistols will give a false sense of security. They’ll truly be out gunned.

Finally, there are other ways to keep kids and educators safe without making our schools armed camps. Armed personnel shouldn’t be the first solution. Schools need easy access to mental health professionals. Each building needs professional school counselors. Students and faculty should be taught to say something if they see or hear something unusual.

Police liaison officers provided by local law enforcement could be used. There needs to be a community interest in protecting the community school.

Guns have a place with hunters and police professionals, but not in school. The community schools were designated “Gun free zones” and we should keep it that way. The school board in Spirit Lake is trying to be proactive about a real threat, but unfortunately this is another example of good people making a bad decision.

Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City, taught for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years until retiring.