Arming Teachers, D+

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Today a good deal of attention is being paid to one topic–arming teachers. A seriously flawed idea.

Why? Because our children deserve better.

While well-intentioned, a common justification used when proposing the arming of teachers is noting it as a “low cost” solution.

Our Kids. Life and Death. Low Cost.

Why–in this debate–is it so acceptable to use “low cost” so callously?

I vote we pass on being cheap when it comes to our kids lives.

We don’t do this elsewhere in the United States. Consider where we often have armed and trained security personnel:

  • Banks. We don’t arm your Teller or Loan Officer.
  • Museums. We don’t arm the Curator, Archivists, or Docents.
  • Airports. We don’t arm Ticket Agents and Pilots.
  • Hospitals. We don’t arm Doctors and Nurses.
  • And the list goes on…….

If our society can fund armed and trained security personnel to protect the money in banks and the artwork in museums, then surely we can fund armed and trained security personnel to protect the children in our schools. It is all a matter of our priorities–and right now we have failed to properly prioritize.

Arming Teachers is a shortcut. A cheap, backwards, and risky shortcut.

Photo by: Lead Beyond