Diverse Story

Controversy with teachers becoming the front-line in K-12 schools

Byline: Shanell Smith

Email: s_s703@txstate.edu

SAN MARCOS, Texas—Following recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida, President Donald Trump talks about expanding gun laws to schools. This ignites growth of controversy around the topic and pushed way for the March for Our Lives protest.

With the United States having the highest cases of mass shootings, President Trump states his support for the National Rifle Association’s position to arm teachers.  Trump’s proposal that teachers should receive additional funding to schools that decide to have teachers and staff armed. He believes this will make schools “into a hardened target.”  As the call for an increase of gun control intensifies across the country, 172 districts in Texas already have laws allowing the possession of a fire arm on school campuses.

Lynell Richter
Photo by: Shanell Smith 

Lynell Richter, Public Administration major at Texas State University, who lived in one of the 172 districts, says she has grew up around guns in a small town and believes part of the reason that people didn’t come onto the schools’ property with a gun was because they too, possessed guns.   

“I was taught how to respect and how to use them properly and to value life… It’s protecting our greatest assets. Our leaders are protected by people with guns yet, they want to take that same protection from the future of America,” said Richter.

Otto Glenewinkel
Photo by: Dymond Sam

While many students can share this experience with Lynell, when perspectives changed to Otto Glenewinkel, a Texas State University Police Officer, believes teachers have enough things to worry about and keeping the school safe shouldn’t be one of them.

 “Would I want a teacher to have a gun [if] a bad guy was in the room and my son was there, and the teacher was the last person in between my son dying and the bad guy? Absolutely. Teachers aren’t the ones who should be securing the schools,” said Officer Glenewinkel.

Katrina Greggs
Photo by: Cole Sanchez

With even those who are optimistic about the benefits of arming teachers have additional concerns that could arise with this option. One of those concerns were from Katrina Greggs, a Psychology student who said that the people doing the mass shootings are a cry for help, it is more of a mental health issue than gun control and arming teachers problem, so having stronger background checks when purchasing a gun should be enforced.

“I don’t think taking them away is the answer but maybe having more obstacles would help,” said Greggs.

Then, an aspiring teacher and Geography student named Julian spoke about his views, he talked about another controversial topic about the funding of the guns and training for teachers and staff members. He said funding is always a crazy topic, who do we tax to get the money, and where do we make cuts from?

Julian
Photo by: Shanell Smith

“Either way I would prefer the money would be put in to getting supplies for students verses guns… I think that would be more beneficial for my students instead of me having a gun for the chance that it might need to be used,” said Julian.

So, if they did arm teachers, what kind of training should be required? Two Texas State students shared similar ideas when it came to the training for teachers. Mark Villanueva is for the arming of teachers, and Zach Streaty was against arming teachers, though both believe extensive training should be required.

Zach Streaty
Photo by: Alyssa Pierce

Mark Villanueva
Photo by: 

Carlos Mercado

“Security guards and officers can’t always be on watch 24/7. Having a teacher with the right knowledge and experience can better the whole situation and can lead to quicker decision making when in a crisis,” said Villanueva.

Even from a different understanding, training teachers like any other officer should be required.

 “If that’s what the officers have to do to take on that kind of situation, I would assume everyone should have that same training,” said Streaty.

Whether you want to Petition2Congress to arm our teachers, or to march alongside the people, of March for Our Lives ,against arming teachers; get involved and have a say in your governments decision.