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Chrusciel, M. M., Wolfe, S., Hansen, J. A., Rojek, J. J., & Kaminski, R. (2015). Law enforcement executive and principal perspectives on school safety measures. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management,38(1), 24-39. doi:10.1108/pijpsm-11-2014-0115

Cornell, D., Maeng, J. L., Burnette, A. G., Jia, Y., Huang, F., Konold, T.,  Meyer, P. (2018). Student threat assessment as a standard school safety practice: Results from a statewide implementation study. School Psychology Quarterly,33(2), 213-222. doi:10.1037/spq0000220

Long, C., & Walker, T. (2018). Arming Teachers is Not the Answer. Retrieved August 25, 2018, from http://neatoday.org/2018/03/05/arming-teachers/

More Issues... (n.d.). Retrieved August 23, 2018, from http://www.nea.org/home/18526.htm

Sandy Hook Promise. (n.d.). Retrieved August 25, 2018, from https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/

School Safety. (n.d.). Retrieved August 22, 2018, from https://www.nsba.org/advocacy/school-law-issues/school-safety

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School safety, especially that related to school shootings and active shooters, is in the forefront of the minds of today’s educators and administrators.  The issue itself encompasses many different areas ranging from parental disagreements to bullying to school shootings.  Policy makers, law enforcement agencies, educators, and parents are all clamoring for a solution, that solution however looks very different depending upon which of the parties above are consulted. The multiple sides of the argument each feel that they have the solution, however those solutions do not all line up with one another.

The most common solution currently mentioned is to arm teachers or administrators. According to Chrusciel, Wolfe, Hansen, Rojek, and Kaminski (2015), this solution, however, is strongly opposed by almost all the very people who would be armed. According to Long and Walker (2018), these stakeholders argue that placing guns in schools, even with highly qualified carriers, is counterintuitive to the argument of school safety.  Instead the argument can be made  that more school resource officers should be put in place and that communities and staff should be well trained (Chrusciel, Wolfe, Hansen, Rojek, and Kaminski, 2015). The friction created from policy being legislated and decided that goes directly agains the wishes of the main stakeholders in the issue is also a cause for great concern. The question remains: Could a teacher, someone who has dedicated their life to children, shoot a child?

The second most common solution is to use student threat assessment to identify potentially violent students (Cornell, Maeng, Burnette, Jia, Huang, Konold, and Meyer, 2018) .  Cornell et. al. (2018) are careful to make the point that this method could become an ethical and legal issue,  because it is essentially profiling and is not always successful. An individual may make comments that seem to be potentially threatening or violent. This does not, however, guarantee that the said individual will one day become violent.  In fact, common observations would tend to show the opposite; those who vocalize their feelings are not always the ones who act.  This would mean that while the student threat assessment seems like a wide sweeping net to catch any potential threats, in reality the largest threats could end up slipping through the net and becoming a reality.

As a school administrator it will be imperative that I am up to date in my knowledge of the laws and on going debate surrounding school safety. I will be in a position in which one of my primary directives will be the safety of my staff and students. I may even end up in a position in which I have to choose how my campus is protected, or help to make a decision for my district. If my knowledge of the debate and laws is lacking, I will be then be crippled in my ability to carry out this key aspect of my position. It is then imperative that I remain informed and up to date in order to be constantly poised to protect my students, teachers, and staff

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A search of the internet led to sandyhookpromise.org, founded by the family members of the victims of the attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School. The website offers news concerning school violence and attempts to stop it. The website also offers ways that the public can get involved in the fight to
stop school violence.

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"I promise to do all I can to protect children from gun violence by encouraging and supporting solutions that create safer, healthier homes, schools and communities "

Sandy Hook Promise is a national non-profit organization founded and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.

Based in Newtown, Connecticut, our intent is to honor all victims of gun violence by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation by providing programs and practices that protect children and prevent the senseless, tragic loss of life.

Tweets by @TwitterDev

Wear your Promise proudly with gear, clothes, and accessories from the Sandy Hook Promise store.
Visit Our Store

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"I promise to do all I can to protect children from gun violence by encouraging and supporting solutions that create safer, healthier homes, schools and communities " Sandy Hook Promise is a national non-profit organization founded and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.

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A web search on this topic led to this article on neatoday.org. The article takes and in depth look at the steps being taken to increase school security in response to President Trump’s call to arm teachers following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

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Only two weeks after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 students and educators were murdered, Florida lawmakers rejected a ban on assault rifles and decided instead to heed President Trump's call to put even more weapons in our schools. A bill is moving through the state legislature that would train teachers to carry guns. It allocates $67 million to create so-called "school marshalls," staff trained to carry a concealed weapon on school grounds.

The bill would put 10 armed educators in every school, roughly 37,000 statewide.

For the students, educators, and parents still reeling from the massacre in Parkland (just the latest in a rash of school shootings that has spread across the U.S.), the notion that combating gun violence in schools requires even more guns being brought into schools is both ludicrous and dangerous.

Alexis Underwood, president of the Association of Bay County Educators and a retired Marine, calls arming teachers "a horrible idea."

"One of the things that my drill instructor told me is that even individuals in the military, in a moment of crisis, when the gun fires for real, are going to forget what they've been taught to do and they're going to run or they're going to make stupid mistakes," Underwood told a local Florida TV station last week. The priority, Underwood added, should be funding highly trained school resource officers.

Most law enforcement experts agree that school staff should not carry guns because they lack the tactical knowledge of handling weapons that trained law enforcement personnel receive on a regular basis. Even if the funding for the weapons and training were to be available after massive cuts to education budgets, educators carrying concealed weapons pose too high a risk to school safety.

We owe it to the students and school personnel, who've lost their lives at schools and on campuses across the country, to work together so that we can thoughtfully and carefully develop common sense solutions that really will save lives. #NeverAgain #MSDStrong

- Lily Eskelsen García (@Lily_NEA) February 22, 2018

"You don't want to have a gun that's available to a student or another worker who may have mental health issues," Maureen S. Rush, vice president for public safety and superintendent of the Police Department at the University of Pennsylvania, told the New York Times.

Parents and educators overwhelmingly reject the idea of arming teachers and other school staff, said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García. "Bringing more guns into our schools does nothing to protect our students and educators from gun violence. Our students need more books, art and music programs, nurses and school counselors; they do not need more guns in their classrooms," she said.

More Accidents, More Fatalities, More Fear

NEA Vice-President Becky Pringle shudders at the thought of how a school's learning environment would be transformed by the presence of educators walking around carrying concealed weapons.

"I taught eighth grade science for over 30 years," she said. "I can't imagine being in an environment where guns are all around me. What's being described by the president and others sounds more like a prison to me, with the teachers as armed guards and students as prisoners."

With that many weapons in a school, Pringle says, there will be more accidents, more fatalities, and more fear.

More importantly, educators themselves do not want to be armed in their classrooms. Over the past couple of weeks, teachers and education support professionals have taken to social media in droves to send a message to the Trump administration and pro-gun advocates that arming educators is an unacceptable response.

Melissa Falkowski, who survived the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, says the logistics of arming teachers makes no sense. A shooting like the one in Parkland, Florida, happens in less than three minutes, she says, and "having a gun that would have to be secured and locked somewhere in a closet and then having to go for that gun and then having to use that against a shooter, it makes no logical sense."
Video: NEA Vice-President Becky Pringle on Arming School Staff

Arming teachers is an idea that comes from people outside of the classroom, she says, and urges lawmakers to listen to what educators are saying.

"If you have never worked in a school or qualified with a firearm please stop advocating that teachers should be armed," Dan Staples, a mathematics teacher who served in the U.S. Marine Corps posted on Facebook. "First, most of my colleagues have zero interest in carrying. Second, there is a much greater chance of having a negligent discharge or a misplaced weapon or a bad guy getting hold of that weapon than there is of that teacher using it to neutralize a threat."

"I'm a teacher and a gun owner with a concealed and carry permit, and I'd never want to bring a gun to my classroom," tweeted Benjamin Gorman, a high school English teacher. "My kids need to feel safe, and I should be thinking about content and not worrying about someone grabbing my pistol. Arming teachers is a gun manufacturer's solution."

High school French teacher Margaret Kieler tweeted, "My job is to connect with kids and teach them a language. No shooting required."

Students, who have become leaders in the new push for common sense gun laws, are also outraged.

"I don't know if Donald Trump has ever been to a public high school but, as far as I'm aware, teachers are meant to be educators," Parkland student Alfonso Calderon told CNN. They are meant to teach young minds how to work in the world. They are not meant to know how to carry AR-15s; they are not meant to know how to put on Kevlar vests for the other students or for themselves."

Keep the Focus Where it Belongs

Armed educators are already roaming the hallways in schools in nine states, most notably in Texas. In addition to the bill being debated in Florida, lawmakers in other states are gearing up to introduce similar legislation. While educators should be mobilizing against these proposals, Eskeslen García urges lawmakers to refocus their efforts on common sense measures "that will really save lives."

With #ArmMeWith, teachers are asking to be armed - but not with guns pic.twitter.com/29fQdBc285

- NowThis (@nowthisnews) February 24, 2018

Public support for these types of solutions has surged to its highest level in 25 years, according to a recent Politico/Morning Consult poll. Overwhelming majorities back measures such as banning assault weapons and instituting background checks on all gun sales. And the sight of Parkland students leading massive protests has reenergized the movement to change gun laws.

As Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson wrote on Feb. 26, the gun lobby is spooked and would be more than happy to keep the public debate on guns focused squarely on arming educators.

"The deliberately outrageous idea of arming classroom teachers is nothing more than a distraction," Robinson said. "A ploy by the gun lobby to buy time for passions to cool. Don't get sidetracked."

Stand With Us to End Gun Violence in Our Schools and Communities!

Pledge to join students, parents, educators, and other community leaders in making your voice heard by taking action to end gun violence in our schools and communities. We can no longer stand by silently while gun violence continues to threaten the safety of our students. We demand that leaders take action to pass comprehensive laws to end gun violence NOW!

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Arming Teachers is Not the Answer - NEA Today

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Only two weeks after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 students and educators were murdered, Florida lawmakers rejected a ban on assault rifles and decided instead to heed President Trump's call to put even more weapons in our schools.

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Performing a search of the ASU library website led me to this excerpt from Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management. The study examines the viewpoints of teachers and law enforcement officers in relation to arming educators, school resource officers, and education. The conclusions put forward have rather interesting implications for current and future policy concerning school safety and the arming of educators.

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Angelo State University - Library Online Resources

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Unauthorized use is prohibited; Usage may be subject to security testing and monitoring; Misuse is subject to criminal prosecution; No expectation of privacy except as otherwise provided by applicable privacy laws.

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My search of  the ASU library website also led to this article from School Psychology Quarterly. The article examines the use of profiling in schools in order to identify potential sources of school violence in order to help stop the violence. The article exmaines both the benefits of profiling students as well as touching on the ethical implications of applying this model to the school system at large.

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Angelo State University - Library Online Resources

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Unauthorized use is prohibited; Usage may be subject to security testing and monitoring; Misuse is subject to criminal prosecution; No expectation of privacy except as otherwise provided by applicable privacy laws.

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School safety is a multifaceted legal issue of great urgency facing many of today’s school adminstrators. The debate is unique in that, unlike other issues related to education, the debate is not over whether or not to act, but rather how to act.
Many argue that educators should be armed, while others argue for stricter gun control and increased security measures on school campuses.  The consensus is to keep students safe, but the looming question seems to be how to do so.

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Exploration Option 2- National Education Association (NEA) Legal and Ethical Principles

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Exploration Option 2- National Education Association (NEA) Legal and Ethical Principles

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Examination of the National Education Associaltion (NEA) website revealed of focus on immigration. Specifically, the effects of the recent deportations and reappeal of DACA on the children of immigrants.

NEA is also focused on achievement gaps. The focus is on what has caused the achievement gaps, but also on the best way to close the gaps and make education fair and equal for all students regardless of background.

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Education Issues and how you can take action

The National Education Association is engaged in a range of issues that affect public schools, students, and professional school employees. Our current focus is on Human & Civil Rights, School Safety, The Elementary and Secondary Education Act/ ESEA, Education Funding, and Raise Your Hand for Public Education.

Below is a list of more issues of concern to the National Education Association and its members.

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The National Education Association is engaged in a range of issues that affect public schools, students, and professional school employees. Our current focus is on Human & Civil Rights, School Safety, The Elementary and Secondary Education Act/ ESEA, Education Funding, and Raise Your Hand for Public Education.

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Exploration Option-2 National School Boards Association (NSBA) Legal and Ethical Principles

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Exploration Option-2 National School Boards Association (NSBA) Legal and Ethical Principles

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While examing the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) website I noticed a great deal of focus on the issue of school safety. Safety relating to school violence, in particular, receives a great deal of focus.

NSBA also gives emphasis to bullying. Bullying and school safety can often times be linked, however, here the emphasis is placed on student rights and discipline when connected with bullying.

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School Safety | National School Boards Association

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Learn more about issues concerning student safety, school violence, student rights, harassment, and bullying.

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Exploration Option 1- Top 5  According to a Current Professional

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Exploration Option 1- Top 5  According to a Current Professional

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I was able to speak with Mrs. Chanda Bloch the current principal at Vogel Elementary School in Seguin, TX regarding the current legal and ethical issues that school administrators face.

#1 The pressure of standardized testing on campuses has lead some administrators to feel as if they need to take drastic measures.  In turn they have done some pretty unethical things like: cheat, prompt students during testing, or not serving all students.

#2 Assuring that all students receive the services they qualify for is another major legal issue faced by administrators. Assuring a student’s IEP/504 plan is followed and following the timeline for special needs students. (i.e. making sure annual or initial ARD meeting are held on time or identifying what can be addressed in a brief ARD versus what can’t).

#3 Bilingual education is a rapidly growing area of education. We have a legal obligation to service bilingual students according to chapter 89 law. As an administrator I must make sure that they are taught and that district policies are being followed.

#4 Sexual harassment and inappropriate relationships with students. Making sure the staff members know what is not appropriate and what lines not to cross. This isn’t a new concern, but is sadly becoming more and more common.

#5 School safety is also a concern that is becoming more common in regards to court orders or updating court orders. It is very difficult to stay impartial.

(C. Bloch, personal communication, August 20, 2018)

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After completing the Principal Certification Program and receiving my certification as a principal, I hope to move into a position as an Elementary School Academic Dean, eventually working my way up to principal. In time I would like to eventually become an Elementary Curriculum Coordinator or a Mathematics Coordinator.