Arming Teachers Gets Overwhelming No In Illinois Patch Survey

ILLINOIS — It's an idea that's trotted out each time a school shooting rocks the nation: Why don't we give teachers guns?

In Illinois, we asked Patch readers how they feel about having armed teachers in local classrooms, and they answered, loud and clear: No way, most of them said.

Nearly 2,000 readers responded to Patch's survey, and an overwhelming 84.3 percent said they were opposed to arming teachers. More than 53 percent of those who responded said they have children in local schools.

Of the 15.7 percent of Illinois Patch readers who said they do support giving teachers guns, some expressed their reasons, from protection to safety to the belief that "it takes the police too long to respond."

Another readers said it's teachers who care the most about kids during the school day, and "(they) should have the ability to repel any attacker."

One parent wrote, "I love my children and am not afraid of a properly trained person having a gun to protect them." Another wrote that they don't want their kids to be "sitting ducks" in the event of a school shooter, and yet another said that teachers should be allowed to carry guns on campus — but only if they want to.

One reader said that if schools were to give teachers guns, teachers would have to be trained and paid for their efforts.

"Armed teachers would have to go through a rigorous program of gun safety instruction and certification," they wrote. "They would have to be compensated for this training."

Those who rejected the idea of arming teachers also had their reasons, with many saying it's too dangerous or makes school campuses more unsafe.

"More guns is not the answer," one reader wrote, and another said it's not teachers' job to have to face off against a school shooter — saying, "they're educators, not law enforcement!"

Another said it was just one more responsibility to be added to teachers' plates, writing, "Teachers have enough to do each and everyday educating our children. They are not trained to be police officers too. This is a bad idea."

Another reader called arming teachers "the stupidest idea ever," adding, "What if a teacher decides to snap and do something?"

A retired teacher also spoke out.

"I was trained to be a teacher, which requires wearing MANY other hats as well. In no way would I accept the fact there would be a loaded weapon in my room," they wrote." Loaded you say? Of course. How else could I be prepared to immediately protect my students? A loaded weapon in a classroom. What could possibly go wrong?!"

What should schools do to keep kids safe?

Patch's survey also asked readers to share their thoughts on what schools should do to protect teachers and students from violence.

Ideas ranged from having armed security on campus — and even armed guards at the entrance — to plainclothes officers on campus to providing an on-site response team trained to handle active shooter situations. Many Illinois schools already have a school resource officer on campus.

Another reader wrote, "Hire security guards or even better, military veterans to walk the halls and check to make sure doors aren’t left cracked open, so someone can enter another way aside from the main entrance." They added, "Sad to say this, but (put) bullet proof glass on classroom doors."

Bullet-proof glass and alarm systems were suggested by several readers, along with locking classroom doors from the inside, while others suggested active shooter drills — a practice that's been in place in Illinois schools for years.

Mental health resources was another common refrain when it came to preventing school violence, along with better tools to identify mental health struggles before they escalate.

"Look into actual mental health issues and not guns being the problem," one reader wrote. "The state needs to concentrate on our kids' mental health," another said.

Others said schools should teach about self-defense. One reader said the solution to school shootings is at home, not in the classroom.

"Parents need to parent and not expect schools and teachers to do that job for them," one reader wrote. "Right and wrong must be taught and accountability must be enforced."

Another wrote that it's about teaching kids to value life.

"Life needs to be valued. The mental health of our communities is on a downslope and seems to be the excuse for horrible acts," they said. "Values need to be taught again and integrity and compassion, along with empathy."

Some readers called for stricter gun regulations and screenings for gun owners, while others felt the blame for school shootings was being unfairly placed on guns. "It is the person USING the gun," one reader wrote. "Making guns illegal isn't going to stop criminals from getting what they want," another said.

Another parent said keeping schools safe should be the priority when it comes to funding.

"Government and school boards need to take money to invest in making schools safer with better security," the reader wrote. "No one wants these things to be a part of children’s education, but we are at a point where it is a necessity to make children feel safe by whatever means necessary."

Arming teachers: What's happened in Illinois

The idea of teachers carrying guns at Illinois schools has been met with mixed response.

In the wake of the Parkland school shooting in 2018, a school district in southern Illinois announced it wanted to be the first in the state to arm its teachers. Century School District 100 near Ullin, Illinois, not far from Carbondale, said it was having its attorneys look into whether existing Illinois law would allow its teachers and school staff to carry guns, provided they'd had firearms training.

Meanwhile, Naperville District 203 board members voted unanimously against a resolution supporting arming teachers — a vote that was backed up by students and parents. "You can't fix gun violence with more guns," one parents said at a school board meeting.

The Naperville Unit Education Association also said it was "categorically opposed to arming and asking teachers and staff to carry firearms in our school and in our classrooms."

Leaders from the Chicago Teachers Union and other districts also spoke out against proposals to arm teachers in the days following the Parkland shooting, and the president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers called the idea "insanity," according to the Chicago Tribune.

When he ran for governor in 2018, current Gov. J.B. Pritzker also rejected the idea of giving teachers guns, saying, "There’s so much that we need to do, but it’s not arming teachers in classrooms, or getting rid of gun-free zones around schools."

Military veterans have also spoken out against proposals to give teachers guns.