Butler County, PA school system hires armed school guards - Washington Post

[LiberalEsto]

This county cuts 75 staff positions because of budget issues, but somehow finds the money to hired retired state troopers to patrol the schools. Where are our priorities?

After Newtown shootings, Pennsylvania county hires armed school guards

By Eli Saslow,

"BUTLER, Pa. — Four hundred miles from Sandy Hook Elementary, a superintendent named Mike Strutt left a morning meeting on Dec. 14 and decided to place his schools on “threat alert.” He was concerned about a copycat attack on the day of the Connecticut shootings. But, as he read reports of the massacre, he started to worry more about something else.

For 20 years, he had specialized in school safety, filling three binders with security plans and lockdown drills — all of which felt suddenly inadequate. In the case of an attack, would a “threat alert” do him any good?

He looked out his office window at the snow-covered trees of western Pennsylvania and imagined a gunman approaching one of Butler County’s 14 schools, allowing the attack to unfold in his mind. In came the gunman, past the unarmed guards Strutt had hired after Columbine; past the metal detectors he had installed after Virginia Tech; past the intercom and surveillance system he had updated after Aurora."

...

"Butler County had cut 75 teaching and administrative positions in the past five years because of a shrinking budget, but now the district of 7,500 students couldn’t hire armed guards fast enough. It had added a new insurance policy and $230,000 to the annual security budget in order to arm and employ at least 22 former state troopers — enough to station at least one guard at each school and every after-school event. In a town where hunting guns hang on the wall of the prosecutor’s office and the rifle team has won championships, the decision to arm guards had elicited a single protest. One family boycotted school for a day before returning the next."

More at link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/after-newtown-shootings-pennsylvania-county-hires-armed-school-guards/2013/01/10/72ba2a6c-5b4d-11e2-9fa9-5fbdc9530eb9_story.html

[Heimer]

1. I like this idea.

People trained in how to deal with stressful situations. Trained with the safe use of firearms. Protecting our students and children.

The thought that we protect something as trvial as money everyday with armed guards, but not this country's most precious asset(children) has blown my mind for quite some time.

[LiberalEsto]

2. If there weren't so many guns around, there wouldn't be a need for this

But when a percentage of the U.S. population feels the urge to arm themselves and everybody else to the teeth and beyond with things like military weapons, so that everybody else has to live in fear, this is how our government chooses to cope with it.

It's fucking insanity to have to live in this kind of pitiful excuse for a society.

[Heimer]

3. .

"If there weren't so many Crazy F-ing People around, there wouldn't be a need for this."

Fixed that for you. Inappriopriate to blame inanimate objects. When does the resposibilty of people's actions come in to play?

Does a gun make someone shoot a person, or is it the other way around?

[Fumesucker]

7. Welcome to DU!

I hope you enjoy your stay.

[1-Old-Man]

4. If you put an armed guard in a school the guard will be the first one shot

And if a child doesn't shoot a guard first then it will be the other way around.

[LiberalEsque01]

5. If the somehow get the armed guard..

Then it won't really make things any worse. And there's a good chance the deterrence factor would help. This stuff is obviously needed but people are so blinded by anti-gun ideology that they'd rather just risk the status quo.

[theaocp]

17. This stuff is not needed at all, but

people are so blinded by pro-gun ideology that they'd rather just risk the status quo.

[TeamPooka]

18. Columbine had armed guards and it didn't deter them did it?

[geomon666]

6. Don't have money to retain teachers.

But we got the cash to put armed guards in schools, yes sir! I've got a brilliant idea. How about we just merge schools with prisons? That way all of the kids are in nice safe buildings with big huge walls and fences, loaded with armed guards and all of the horrible criminals are locked up anyway. Think of the space you'll save too. It's a win/win!!!!

[Heimer]

10. I think you're on to something there!

[Fumesucker]

11. Get the kids ready for their future too, on the job training so to speak n/t

[John1956PA]

8. Fourteen Miles to the west, another Pennsylvania school district will be doing the same.

Here is an edited excerpt from the January 10, 2013, article which appears in the Ellwood City Ledger:

ELLWOOD CITY -- Armed security guards will be patrolling the halls of Ellwood City Area schools, possibly within the next two weeks.

The school board -- in a 6-0 vote . . . approved a contract Thursday . . . for security services.

{The} District Superintendent . . . said the contract would cost no more than $61,200 for the remainder of this school year.

Contracting for four security guards -- one each at Lincoln High School and Ellwood City Area's three elementary schools -- is part of a comprehensive school safety plan . . . unveiled at Thursday's board meeting.

A bit more at the following link:

http://www.ellwoodcityledger.com/news/local_news/ellwood-adding-armed-security-guards-to-schools/article_f2d50b86-e6b1-5e0a-87dd-c2db4596eadb.html

[Fumesucker]

9. I'm sure if they cut the football teams they'll be able to pay for this

Right?

[Heimer]

12. The question of funding is a good point.

Most every school is making cuts, makes you wonder what is being sacrificed for this.

[JPZenger]

13. Many urban schools have a cop inside

A local urban school district near me has a cop in each high school and each middle school. One just disarmed a student with a gun 2 days ago. If they had the money, they would have a cop in every elementary school, too. Bigger cities have metal detectors at the doors of schools.

One of the benefits of hiring retired state troopers is that the school district doesn't need to pay benefits, because retired troopers already get great benefits.

[LizW]

15. My son's suburban school has two

There have been two armed officers in my kids' high school for at least 8 years. There's a police SUV parked on the wide front sidewalk near the front door every morning.

I like these officers a lot. They are nice, good with the kids, and I think they keep a lot of bad student behavior in check. But everyone is kidding themselves if they think two officers with side arms could stop a shooter with a semi-automatic rifle and body armor. They would just be among the first to die.

[99Forever]

14. The gun trolls are out in force this morning.

Telling us what a wonderful thing it is to turn our children's former place of learning and socializing into armed guarded prisons under constant threat.


YAY! Let's all kneel at the Altar of the Godly AR-15 and give thanks.

[LiberalEsto]

16. +100