Trump's safety panel weighs in on arming teachers
161 views · Published 23 December 2018 · 3:33 · Indexed 23 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(18 Dec 2018) President Donald Trump's school safety commission said it should be left to states and schools to decide whether to arm teachers, but Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said she urges schools to "seriously consider" the option. The panel, led by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, made the recommendation in a report that lays out dozens of suggestions to improve safety in America's schools. Trump created the commission in March following a Parkland, Florida, school shooting that killed 17 students and staff members. Along with DeVos, the safety commission includes leaders of the departments of Justice, Health and Human Services and Homeland Security. They issued their findings after more than a dozen meetings with teachers, parents, students, mental health experts, police and survivors of school shootings. The report highlights districts that have armed teachers, and it points schools to federal funding that can be used for firearm training. While the report doesn't explicitly encourage schools to arm staff members, it says they "may consider" the option if their states allow it. And while DeVos has previously said she has no plans to let schools use federal education funding to arm staff members, the panel pointed schools to a Justice Department grant that can be used on firearm training. On gun regulation, the commission's only suggested change was a call for more states to adopt laws allowing "extreme risk protection orders," or court orders that temporarily restrict access to firearms for people who are found to pose risks to themselves or others. Among other proposals, the commission called for more training to help school officials identify mental health problems when students are younger, and it urges schools to hire more military veterans or retired police officers with the training to respond in an emergency. It also suggested several measures schools should take to "harden" their buildings, including installing windows with laminated or bulletproof glass, and making sure all classroom doors can be locked from the inside. Trump says the report proposes "no notoriety" campaigns to encourage the media not to use the names and other information about shooters. He says that makes the shooters "famous" when they are really "horrible, horrible people." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/8f31cde8a3361705fd1a3b729437181f
