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Student safety is on the minds of public officials in Somerville after the recent fatal mass shooting incident in Parkland, Florida and elsewhere.
By Jim Clark
In the aftermath of the tragic mass shooting incident that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, two weeks ago, national, state, and civic leaders have been asking what can be done to curtail gun violence and assure the safety of students in particular and the general public across the board.
The City of Somerville has not excluded itself from addressing the problem, and a resolution put forward at the latest regular meeting of the Board of Alderman met the issue head on.
The resolution, co-sponsored by Alderman At-Large Wilfred N. Mbah, Ward 6 Alderman Lance L. Davis, and Ward 7 Alderman Katjana Ballantyne, asked that the Administration report to the Board on what is being done to prevent gun violence in our schools, including any active shooter training provided to teachers.
Board of Aldermen members want to know what comes next in the way of protecting students in our schools.
Speaking on the matter, Alderman Mbah told the Board, “This order came as a result of what has been happening throughout the nation, especially Parkland in Florida. I just want us to be prepared in the event of any similar occurrence.”
Mbah expressed his appreciation for the work that the Superintendent of Schools has been doing in addressing the matter. “I saw an email submitted today to us by Mr. Long which shows that the Schools Department is actually doing the best they can to protect our kids.”
The Parkland shooting on February 14 of this year, in which 17 high school students and school staff were killed, has sparked a firestorm of controversy across the nation as citizens and public officials debate what can and should be done to lessen the chances of similar tragedies occurring in the future.
From proposed gun control legislation to arming teachers in the classrooms, a wide range of responses to the issue have been advanced and debated.
The Board’s request for the administration’s response to the matter has been formally made.
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Does anyone besides the President think that turning schools into military bases is a good idea?
No teacher should have to pass a firearms test to qualify to teach in any school. This isn’t the answer to making things safer.
Working to stop gun violence at the source by making it harder to obtain guns, better background checks, mental health evaluations, and banning semi-automatic weapons would be a better start to improving this situation. It’s just easier for politicians to consider arming teachers than it is to actually pass legislation to make things safer.
It’s a cop-out (no pun intended) to say we should arm teachers if we want to keep our schools safe. The more armed people in a school, the greater chance of someone innocent getting shot. The fact that there have been instances of police panicking when they should be well-trained tells you that teachers aren’t going to be any better at it.