I'm still waiting to hear any superintendent or school board in South Dakota embrace House Bill 1087, South Dakota's new and somewhat anomalous school gunslinger law. I hope most school leaders will have the good sense to steer clear of this unnecessary fearmongering and use their resources for wiser, more constructive programs to do active good for children every day.
But just in case some local super or board member is catching flak from NRA neighbors who think schools should re-enact the Alamo, education consultant Thomas P. Johnson composes a memo that covers the numerous complications schools will face in implementing an armed-teacher policy. Here are some of Johnson's observations on the policy steps schools arming their teachers will have to take:
- Assure that all applicants for employment and new hires submit certificates of marksmanship competencies with the several weapons we will be purchasing this year....
- Develop an amendment to our collective bargaining contracts and add new competencies in our performance-evaluation protocols that mandate high levels of accuracy in weapons use by unit members. Tie these competencies to the contracts’ provisions on discipline and discharge....
- Liaison with the district’s risk-management contacts to guarantee indemnification of our staff in case a teacher kills a child or other staff member with an errant or accidental shot....
- Develop rules and regulations to mandate that ammunition for all district weapons be available in easy-to-access locations near teacher workstations.
- Develop regulations for issuance of weapons before school each day and retrieval of such at the end of the day. Teachers who coach may keep their weapons on their person while on the practice field or at athletic events. Check with other districts to ensure that our coaches can be armed on their campuses during away games....
- Contract with a local gun club to use its range(s) for practice.
- Meet with the curriculum director to determine how we can release teachers during the school day to practice their marksmanship or complete their annual weapons-qualification requirement on school time. Find substitute teachers to cover their classes.
- Meet with the head custodian to ensure that an in-district armory be established with appropriate 24-hour security to store excess weapons and ammunition [Thomas P. Johnson, "A 'Memo' to Staff on Arming All Teachers," Education Week, 2013.04.12].
More work, less time to teach—such is the nature of the education "reforms" our Legislature bothers to pass.
Gee. The bill - now law - is a feel-good measure that has little prospect of materially altering what is (or is not) done in our schools...
Wonder where I heard that before? :-)
Would that all such legislative palliatives cost as little as this one does.
When we can't pass solid do-good measures like 1.2.3.4 I guess the legislatures have to turn to feel-good measures.
Johnson's memo is missing a few such as: Night weapons training and qualifications for faculty members who escort students at after hours activities during hours of darkness (band, many sports, debate, etc.)
Procure and train on person-mounted and weapon-mounted night vision sights, as required by the above circumstances.
The SD legislature is too often full of well-intended "feel good" valueless initiatives. If we could bottle and sell these then SD would never have a budget or tax problem.