In February a high school soccer player was murdered on campus just sitting in his car. As expected the news media focused on students who skipped classes “marching for gun control” (AP News, C Slevin 3/3/23) and not that the Denver School Board had removed all armed Resource Officers from schools.
On March 22, two school administrators were shot at the same school as they attempted to frisk a student (CNN, R Garcia 3/22/23). Rather than officers, two educators carried out a progressive “safety plan” which had replaced police and allowed potentially dangerous students to remain in school. After the shooting, the DPD placed two uniformed officers in the school.
The attack at the Nashville private school was next. In reporting the story, some in the news were more focused on guns and pronouns and less on the fact the school had no armed resource officer. The AP, referring to the 28 year old suspect as a “child” and the “shooter,” reported had legally bought seven weapons and hid the guns from “their” parents. (AP, J Matisse 3/28/23).
In the Uvalde, TX school attack, there was no armed resource officer to confront the intruder (KXAN5/25/22), no armed resource officers in the Denver schools and no armed resource officer in the Nashville private school. Does anyone see a pattern there?
Tuesday, Jessica Tarlov, on The Five on FOX, said armed guards in school is robbing children of their youth and I ask what does it do to not have them? She further said, “lockdowns traumatize children” and I thought about how many of us survived the Wednesday air raid sirens at noon and “duck and cover” drills? It was clear, these people don’t get it, our safety is never negotiable.
Ralph Miller
* * *
Ralph, you didn't mentioned there was an armed officer at the Parkland school in Florida where 17 people were killed and 17 others injured in 2018. Armed guards at schools, or just about everywhere, won't necessarily prevent these shootings.
Most don't have an actual problem with armed guards or SROs at schools. The problem is there appears to be no set rules of how and when they're allowed to act or interact with students. If they're there to protect the students, staff and others, that's fine. But all too often we've witnessed a puny little sixth grader getting body slammed by a burly cop ten times his size and hundreds more the child's weight. Or teens tossed across the room by an SRO while still sitting at their desk. Or a kindergartener being laced in handcuffs too large for the students wrist, to "scare'em straight?" First graders being pepper sprayed. There's even been a couple fatal shootings of students, no longer found during searches. One in Texas, another in Florida. There might be more, but uncomfortable matters of certain nature have a way of totally disappearing these days, and can no longer be accessed through simple searches.
It's already been proven, Ralph, if there are no set rules to follow, then instead of some citizen entering the school, or one already there, set on harming others, you'll just have those there to 'serve 'n protect' committing the harm themselves.
Brenda Washington