This came in the aftermath of the recent deadly incident at Iowa’s Perry High School. A troubled student murdered two and injured six others in a mass shooting that rattled the state and forced schools to reconsider their protocols. In the case of Siouxland, the change was already in the works.
Law enforcement took seven minutes to reach Perry High School as the tragedy unfolded.
One of those killed was the principal. Investigators identified 17-year-old Dylan Butler as the shooter. He apparently died from a self-inflicted gunshot.
Siouxland Superintendent Lindsay Laurich explained to parents that the armed and prepared teachers “are trained to go directly to the threat.” This could very well save lives as it will “allow teachers and students to get to safe positions and will provide an active response until law enforcement is able to arrive.”
The administrator noted the Perry High School incident. She said it is now the “unfortunate reality” that those who wish to harm others and “do evil” target vulnerable schools.
Her intention is that Siouxland Christian School is no longer considered vulnerable.
Laurich told Newsweek on Thursday that the staff selected to defend the school were chosen and trained with “input from law enforcement, our insurance carrier, legal advisors and industry experts.”
And the policy is not something cooked up overnight. The system had worked on implementing the change for over a year.
The identities of specific staff members who will be armed will be concealed.
Laurich conveyed to school parents that it was a “difficult” decision but one that was necessary knowing the very real chance of a shooting incident. “I need to be able to stand in front of you and say we have done all we can do. This is a necessary step we must take.”
She added, “Teachers and children should not be afraid to come to school. We must employ all of the tools and resources at our disposal in order to be prepared for worst case scenarios.”
As predictable as the sunrise, the knee jerk reaction quickly came from anti-Second Amendment activists.
Giffords posted on X, formerly Twitter, “Can we please just let teachers teach? Trained police officers fail to strike an intended target over 50% of the time — why do we think arming teachers will result in anything but tragedy?”
The National Education Association previously issued a statement decrying the arming of staff. “Our students need more books, art and music programs, nurses and school counselors; they do not need more guns in their classrooms.”
There are many great responses to these diatribes. Rob Romano of the Firearms Policy Coalition noted that teachers will not have qualified immunity that is granted to police officers.
But even more poignant is the personal nature of the defense they will provide. Romano observed that the educators will know the names of the children they are defending.
Some of the kids may even be their own.
National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre many times declared that in order “to stop a bad guy with a gun, it takes a good guy with a gun.” And that person in a crisis may very well be a teacher or staffer.
The Texas Tribune reported that as of 2018, roughly 170 school districts in the Lone Star State have active policies to arm teachers and staff. This action has also been taken by at least one school in Ohio.
