Armed Teachers In Classrooms Strongly Opposed By MCPS Board

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — The debate around ways to prevent tragic school shootings like the Feb. 14 massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, continues to rage, as the student survivors and others push for lawmakers to come up with solutions that will keep youngsters safe while they are in the classroom. While some have called for more restrictions on military-style weapons, others are calling on school districts to arm the teachers who are tasked with making sure your little one receives a proper education.

However, the Montgomery County Board of Education unanimously approved a measure opposing arming teachers on March 22. The resolution said the school board is "deeply committed" to keeping guns out of classrooms.

"The Montgomery Board of Education support all viable efforts to create safe schools that do not endanger students in the classroom," the measure says. "President Donald J. Trump's proposal would put guns in the hands of adults in the classrooms and potentially expose students and stuff to danger and violence."

Trump called "gun-free" schools a "magnet for bad people," and allowing qualified teachers to carry guns in the classroom would cost less than hiring guards and could be a powerful tool to curbing mass shootings at schools. "Highly trained, gun adept, teachers/coaches would solve the problem instantly, before police arrive," he tweeted. "GREAT DETERRENT!"

“It’s a terrible idea,” Patricia O’Neill, a school board member who proposed the resolution, told The Washington Post. “I worry about a child accidentally getting shot or accidentally getting the gun.”

>> See the Montgomery County Board of Education measure here.

O'Neill told The Post she would prefer to see money used to make school buildings more secure and improving mental health support.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said he's against arming teachers, stating at a February press conference: "Classrooms should never be a place of fear for our children, and no mom or dad should ever have to worry when they send their kids off to school in the morning, whether their son or daughter is going to have to come home safely."

Hogan recently committed $125 million in funding to improve school safety throughout Maryland. The money will be used for metal detectors, security cameras and other capital improvements, plus $50 million in operating funds each year for new school safety grants, which could be used for school resource officers, counselors and safety technology.

The funding would come through the governor's education lockbox proposal, which provides an additional $4.4 billion in education spending from casino revenues, Hogan said.

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