Will Arming Schools Stop These Happenings?

Part Four This is a fourth in a series of posts informing folks about what is so much in the press, how to deter the mass murders we have been experiencing in the U.S.  It is not an argument for or against gun control; just explanations of terms we hear in the press that are not clearly defined.Probably not.

Economic Reality of Putting Armed Guards in Schools

The cost of putting armed guards in all schools will be the largest hurdle but also may not be economically feasible.  The NRA's offer was to help train school guards on tactical shooting; not to pay for the guards.  Somewhere someone has to pay and it will be taxpayers.  Before we go into what is tactical shooting training, lets look at the economics of paying for an armed school guard.  Remember also that many schools already use guards or the local police force.  Those schools are a bit ahead.

Number of Guards Needed
One guard per school will not be sufficient.  An armed guard would have to be at the school from the first person to arrive to the last person to leave.  This would be about 12 hours a day.  You would need at least one and a half guards to make sure someone was there all the time.  Vacations, personal leave and sick leave could mean that you would need 2 and a half guards.

Personnel Costs
A full time guard with benefits, workman's compensation, sick leave, vacation, uniform, would cost the school between $76,000 to $100,000 a year.  Not all schools are open all year, however, like teachers you would have to pay them enough money they wouldn't go job hunting every summer.  The cost of the guard would depend on the training you would require.  The moire tactical training, the more the guard would cost you.

Equipment
What type or types of firearms would the guard need? A torch light, batons, handcuffs, boots, guard belts, handgun, magazines, pepper spray, bullet proof vest and ammunition.  What equipment needed would have to be discussed, but above would be a good guess.

Training. 

The security guard would need tactical training that would meet state requirements for licensing.  Special training would have to be funded by the school.  As with most professional development, this often requires off site training extended over a couple days which means meals and hotel.  The school would have to establish a professional development budget once they have established the type and degree of training the guard would require.

Training would not just be in tactical where they are fighting the bad guy, but in basic medical first responder for victims  crowd control,  and working with local law enforcement.  Depending on the prior training that the armed guard has at a school the training could be two weeks to 12 hours.

We will get into what tactical training is with another post.

Facility security
It would not be enough to have a full time guard, the buildings would have to be secure with locks, preferably ones that could be worked electronically, cameras, and even metal detectors.  A model for this process to secure facilities that did not originally have them is airports who had to upgrade their security after 9/11.  The airports had to establish temporary facilities and eventually all had to do a complete and expensive remodel.

Understanding how schools are financed

This is complicated.  Hold on and read slowly.  The most important consideration is that the federal government, by the constitution, has no rights over schools other than if they violate or need help to comply with constitutional issues such as equal education for all students.  They cannot write a national curriculum, dictate to communities how schools should operate or tell schools who they should hire.

Surprised?  Most people are.

The only thing the federal government can do is to monitor schools to assure that all students are treated equally according to the constitution.  The way they control schools is through the money they provide them for busing, free lunches, and other areas that guarantee individual rights and fair treatment.  They also give schools grant monies for special programs.

For example:  Leave No Child Behind was only effective in getting states to participate because it was a qualification for schools to receive federal funding.  Early on Utah realized the program was bumping into constitutional  issues and announced they would refuse to participate, other states quickly followed.  It would have been an interesting law suit if they had pursued it.  The Department of Education backed down first and made special provisions.

States
States have pretty much the same function as the federal government.  Their main power over local schools is the state taxes that they collect and dole out and the licensing of teachers.  There have been cases like in New Jersey where the states have taken over a school that has failed, however the cases are rare and extreme measures.  States do have some control by licensing charter schools to complete with local school districts that are not living up to state standards. They have some control in the curriculum, but only by allowing things like only state approved textbooks can be purchased with state funds.  They can also set state standards or state curriculum but cannot dictate how the schools follow them.

The Community
The constitution puts education as the responsibility of the community, hence the local districts that are governed by local boards and run the schools according to "community standards".   Each district has autonomy to establish curriculum and run within the standards set by the U.S., Department of Education and the State Department of Education.  The community can set taxes according to their taxing district.  They can charge what the community will bear.

Who will fund armed guards in each school?  

Federal
The Department of Education does not have to act because this is not a constitutional issue.  The Department of  Defense or Homeland Security  would have to find a way to justify that putting armed guards in every school would be a national defense issue.  Airports received federal help because protecting the airlines from terrorists was, and still is, a national security issue.  If it was determined that this was a national security issue, money would have to be found in the budget by taking from someone else or raising taxes.

The constitution issue that gives communities power over schools may make this a job task out of their pay grade.  My son, Jon Kydd Tharpe who BTW gives CCW classes and with great classes for women, says constitutional lawyers are going to get their pockets full on this whole issue of what to do to prevent more mass shootings. I agree.

States
The states could fund armed guards as part of the funding they appropriate to local school districts.  Because the mass shooters are a matter of defending the state.  This would also be a case of taking money from another piece of the pie or raising taxes.

Communities
The burden of paying for the armed guards would most likely fall on the districts.  If the state does not appropriate new funds, the local taxpayers would have to pay.

The National Rifleman Association
The NRA offered to help supply training, not to pay for individual guards.  Training is a complicated issue between licensing teachers to carry concealed weapons, tactical defense, pro-active measures, and emergency and first responder medical treatment.  This training would be a combination of all the types of training they do, something they would have to develop.  Whether or not it could be accomplished for free is another issues.  Steve Brown from Buckeye Firearms Association in Columbus Ohio is planning a comprehensive training.  His sounds like a good model.

Summary

• Most likely the local school districts will have to decide a plan for their community schools as well as fund armed guards if they believe this to be the best way.
• Many schools already have armed guards, metal detectors and facilities with electronic locks, camera, and build in security.  These schools need to be investigated for how they run their security program, pay for armed or unarmed guards and set up metal detectors and other security.
• Teachers and administrators need to have some type of emergency training to protect themselves and their students.  This would require a community discussion with local law enforcement, emergency medical personnel and tax payers. 
• State and national discussion need to determine what the action would be if less well funded schools cannot afford to supply armed guards and other security measures.  Are we now bumping into another constitutional issue?
• Private schools would have to be considered in this plan.  If the federal government supplied money to support better security measures should they supply the same to private schools who have no local, state or federal funds?

There is no getting around it.  Armed guards in the schools will have to be funded by taxpayers.  The biggest question here is "How much do the tax payers want to support this financially and at what level do they want government to be involved?"  Federal armed guards?  State police?  Community security guards or local police force?