Proposal would train and arm teachers as reserve school police officers
A proposal that Nevada teachers be allowed to carry concealed weapons garnered a lot of notoriety but little traction among state lawmakers this year. Now comes this idea: Give bonus pay to teachers, from kindergarten to college, who would be trained and armed as reserve school police officers. Faculty-turned-campus cops would supplement the thin ranks of campus police and be in position to respond quickly to campus emergencies, proponents say. To become reserve campus police officers, teachers would have to pass a physical and psychological evaluation, as well as a comprehensive background check. After paying for and completing the training, they would be responsible for $1,500 in uniform and equipment costs, although their guns would be provided by the school police department. School districts would then have to pay the auxiliary officers $3,000 annually.
Education officials say so far there are more questions than answers about the proposal. If a child becomes violent during class, would the teacher-officer be allowed to use more aggressive means of restraint than a regular teacher? In a campus emergency, would the teacher-officer leave his classroom unattended to respond? "I'm a common-sense guy, but it's hard to wade through this," says John Jasonek, executive director of the Clark County Education Association, which represents most of the district's teachers. "Right now this isn't passing the initial sniff test." Clark County Schools Superintendent Walt Rulffes says he would like to see how the proposal plays out at the university level. Ken Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services based in Cleveland, believes the proposal is misguided. "Teachers are already overwhelmed with all of the academic, behavioral and administrative tasks they have to perform," he says. "To say you're going to add a whole other role and mind-set is unrealistic." Debate about arming teachers surfaces periodically in other states, usually in the wake of a high-profile campus shooting, he says. "Rather than off-the-wall proposals, how about our legislators focus on stopping the cuts to funding for school safety and emergency preparedness, mental health services and support programs," he adds. "That might actually provide an improved learning environment, instead of trying to make teachers into cops."
Las Vegas Sun By Emily Richmond
[Editor’s Note: More on the idea of armed teachers is available below.]
NSBA School Law pages on South Carolina legislation