KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Stephanie Jacobus, the mother of a sophomore at Fort Osage High School, says her heart breaks because of how much school has changed recently for students.
“It really kind of froze my heart that they’re doing tornado drills, fire drills, and active shooter drills in the school, so it’s very scary, it’s very concerning,” Jacobus said.
She knows active shooter drills are a new necessity, but she doesn’t want guns in the hands of teachers.
“There’s other solutions,” she said.
One solution she says is more mental health resources to help those that could pose a danger to schools.
Andrea Flinders, the president of the Kansas City Federation of Teachers says teachers she knows in the Kansas City, Mo. School District don’t want to carry a firearm.
“I’ve heard sometimes we need more security officers, ok, I’ve heard that before, but no, I’ve never had anybody call before and say I need a gun,” Flinders said.
Instead she says intruder training, like all staff received this year, is a better option or adding more trained school resource officers.
In a sense, that’s what bill sponsor, Mo. State Senator Will Kraus (R-8), says this bill does; it adds more resource officers.
It requires teachers and staff members to get special training before they’re allowed to carry a firearm in schools.
“If school districts opt into allowing their teachers or administrators to carry concealed, that this additional class is required,” Sen. Kraus explained.
He says it’s been up to school districts in the past, and it still is. They will not be required to allow teachers to carry firearms.
The law takes effect in 30 days. Sen. Kraus says before teachers would be allowed to carry a weapon, there’d also be a required public forum and they’d have to get it approved by the school board.
A spokesperson says Dr. Stephen Green, superintendent of the Kansas City, Mo. School District, says he’s absolutely against teachers carrying guns in schools in his district.
