What About Tasers In Schools?
Alright, guns in schools are a bit too extreme. How about something less lethal? What if we allow safety officers to bring Tasers to school? This was the idea of the supporters of a proposal that would have allowed school police officers to carry Tasers to school campuses. The proposal was filed in Uniontown in Pittsburgh.
Way back in the early days of this month, the plan was announced. Pittsburgh Live has this report:
The school’s director of security says giving the district’s three officers the option of using a Taser is more about providing the safest possible conditions for children, staff and visitors than as a weapon “directed at the students.”
Ken Trump, a former school security director who heads National School Safety and Security Services, said a device like a Taser — which delivers a powerful electric shock to incapacitate a person — potentially can be helpful if an adult non-student intruder threatens harm to himself or others.
The School Board had a meeting on the 18th of August to discuss the proposal. What was the result?
Uniontown Area School Board decided Monday not to vote on a request to allow school police officers to carry Tasers.
The board directed security Chief Don Homer to examine the school’s current security policy and procedures to discover ways to keep students and staff safe.
I have to say that I am relieved that the meeting over the proposal went this way. Now I am not against the use of Tasers and other equipment like that IF they are used properly. Therein lies the problem, though. How can we ensure that they will ALWAYS be used appropriately? How can we be sure that accidents will not happen? The proponents of the plan had good intentions to be sure. The idea behind the use of Tasers was for the school officers to be able to use them against intruders or perpetrators of violence. I could very well see situations wherein their use would be appropriate. Again, it would be hard to draw the line between what is appropriate and what is not.
I am also going back to my old arguments about teachers carrying guns to school. The school is supposed to be a place of learning and cultural stimulation NOT a place where students have to rely on weapons to keep them safe. As one parent said, there should be some other way that we can ensure the safety of our children.
How do you feel about the use of Tasers in schools?
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Posted on August 27th, 2008 by Deborah J Thomas
Filed under: Administrators, High School, K-6, News, Parents, People Involved, School Grade Level, School Safety Issues, Security
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