From the Center for American Progress (http://www.americanprogress.org):
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is considering a plan to allow federal Department of Education funding to be used to purchase guns to arm teachers and administrators.
The rule would strip funding from a $1 billion program designed for “academic and enrichment opportunities in the country’s poorest schools.” The program calls for schools to use the money to 1) provide a well-rounded education, 2) improve school conditions for learning, and 3) improve the use of technology for digital literacy.
Instead, the Department of Education is considering allowing that money to be used to purchase firearms, despite the fact that a majority of teachers disagree with the practice.
73% of teachers oppose arming teachers. A strong majority of teachers overwhelmingly support gun violence prevention measures. The 2017 teacher of the year spoke out firmly about the dangers of training and arming educators.
Take it from Greg Pittman, a teacher at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School:
“I think it’s a very, very, very bad idea. I am a teacher. I did not train, do not want to be police. I do not want to be SWAT. I don’t want to be the army.“
The majority of teachers don’t want to be armed; the Secretary of Education should listen to them.
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