US educators lash out at idea of arming teachers
Adults watch a monitor honouring the 17 students and teachers killed at Douglas High School during a CNN town hall meeting, at the BB&T Center, in Sunrise, Florida, on February 21, 2018. (REUTERS/Michael Laughlin/Pool)
The NRA, the powerful gun lobby, has long argued for more armed security in US schools and Wayne LaPierre, the NRA executive vice president, repeated the call in a speech on Thursday.
"Our banks, our airports, our NBA games, our NFL games, our office buildings, our movie stars, our politicians, they're all more protected than our children at school," LaPierre said.
He concluded his speech to a gathering of conservative leaders with the NRA catchphrase: "To stop a bad guy with a gun it takes a good guy with a gun."
Several teachers at Stoneman Douglas and the head of the county school system where the shooting took place were among those skeptical of Trump's suggestion.
"We don't need to put guns in the hands of teachers," said Robert Runcie, the superintendent of Broward County Public Schools. "You know what we need? We need to arm our teachers with more money in their pocket."
Melissa Falkowski, a teacher at Stoneman Douglas who hid students in her classroom while the shooting was taking place, called the proposal "ridiculous."
"I have a problem with it on a lot of levels," Falkowski said in an interview with CNN.
"Why are we treating our schools like they're supposed to be a military installation with teachers trained like police officers and military personnel?" she asked.
"I struggle to see how a teacher, even a highly trained teacher with a handgun, is going to go against somebody who's carrying an AR-15," she said. "Are those teachers going to be strategically placed around the school?"
Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old former Stoneman Douglas student accused of carrying out the shooting, was armed with a semi-automatic AR-15-style rifle.
Andrew Pollack, centre, flanked by his sons, speaks during “listening session” on gun violence with US President Donald Trump, teachers and students in the State Dining Room of the White House on February 21, 2018. Pollack's daughter Meadow was killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. (AFP / MANDEL NGAN)
Ashley Kurth, a culinary arts teacher at Stoneman Douglas who also sheltered dozens of students during the shooting, also had her doubts.
"Am I supposed to get extra training now to serve and protect on top of educating these children?" Kurth asked at a CNN "town hall" Wednesday about gun violence.
"Am I supposed to have a kevlar vest?" she said. "Am I supposed to strap (a gun) to my leg or put it in my desk?"
Eskelsen Garcia, the NEA president, said what students need are "more books, art and music programmes, nurses and school counsellors.
"They do not need more guns in their classrooms."
What is needed, she said, are "solutions that will keep guns out of the hands of those who want to use them to massacre innocent children and educators.
"Arming teachers does nothing to prevent that."
Speaking at the CNN town hall, Scott Israel, the sheriff of Broward County, also came out against providing guns to teachers.
"I don't believe teachers should be armed," Israel said. "I believe teachers should teach.
"But that's exactly what's wrong with this country," Israel continued. "We have people in Washington DC, representatives, senators and legislators telling teachers what they should do without asking teachers 'What do you want to do?'"