The Georgia school district has 107,000 students and currently has almost 70 officers among its 114 schools.
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Scott Olson / Getty Images
A school district in the state of Georgia has passed a policy that allows some workers to carry weapons, excluding teachers and staff who monitor classrooms.
This decision is part of the district’s response to the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children and two adults dead two months ago.
The Cobb County Board of Education voted 4-2 to approve the rule aimed at improving safety in Georgia’s second-largest school district.
“This policy gives us other opportunities to improve and increase the number of school resource officers in our district,” Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said during the district board meeting.
Employees authorized to carry weapons will receive the same training as certified school resource officers. Training includes pistol shooting, marksmanship, and review of current laws on the use of force for self-defense, among others.
Ragsdale stressed that he does not support arming teachers: “I have said it from the beginning: I am not in favor of, nor do I support, arming teachers in the classroom.”
Although “federal law prohibits weapons on K-12 campuses in general…many states allow schools to issue individualized permits to allow holders to carry weapons,” according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
Opponents of the measure booed and shouted during the meeting: “Delay the vote”, demanding that a more detailed discussion be held on August 18 before the board makes a final decision.
A 2014 Georgia state law allows school districts to institute policies to arm teachers and staff, but only a handful have done so since the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida in 2018. Ragsdale said.
Ragsdale reported prior to the vote that the district, which has 107,000 students, currently has nearly 70 officers among its 114 schools.
Armed school personnel must be licensed in accordance with state law to carry a firearm and must undergo annual criminal history checks.
Also, carrying weapons on school campus or at school-sponsored functions will be permitted. Also, concealed carry is allowed if the weapon is on the person and not in a bag or briefcase.
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