EDUCATION

Arming teachers draws harsh criticism from R.I. educators, safety officials

Linda Borg
lborg@providencejournal.com
Robert Walsh, executive director of the National Education Association Rhode Island. [The Providence Journal, file / Bob Thayer]

President Donald Trump's suggestion that teachers should be armed was met with universal derision from local educators and national teachers' groups.

Robert Walsh, executive director of the National Education Association Rhode Island, said, "The solution to getting guns out of the public schools is not put more guns in the public schools.

"This is the default proposal that the National Rifle Association and their sympathizers put out after every mass shooting," he said Thursday. "It's this notion that more guns are going to solve the problem. Trained law enforcement officers aren't always able to deploy a firearm in a stressful situation. How can we expect teachers to accomplish that?"

On Thursday, following a learning session with students and parents at the White House, Trump doubled down on social media on his idea of arming teachers. He tweeted, "Highly trained, gun adept, teachers/coaches would solve the problem instantly, before police arrive."

Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Pare called it a "crazy idea."

"I'm always concerned when political leaders want to put more guns into situations where we are trying to create safer places, whether it's nightclubs or schools," he said. "The solution isn't to put more guns on the street. There are a whole host of problems when we arm our teachers. It makes everyone less safe. Teachers are not trained to do this. It's a bad idea. ..."

Ronald Stephens, executive director of the National School Safety Center in California, said his first response is "to let teachers teach and certified [law enforcement] officers protect."

Stephens said schools would have to figure out how educators would secure weapons on campus and then how they would be able to access them.

"How many times have there been situations with trained officers where their guns were not always secured?" he said. "After a shooting occurs, litigation will follow. You really have to get the weapons stuff right the first time."

Joanne Bartoletti, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, said arming teachers flies in the face of a teacher's mission: to create a safe environment where students can learn.

She also thinks this would discourage prospective candidates from entering the teaching profession, which already faces shortages in many states.

"How would it affect my decision to go into a classroom?" she said. "The student-teacher relationship would be affected if a teacher is armed. It's wrong-headed to think that arming teachers is a way to protect kids."  

— lborg@providencejournal.com

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On Twitter: @lborgprojocom