FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – A spirited debate on Facebook Live over how to keep our students, teachers and other employees at school safe.
One topic that came up is should certain teachers and faculty at every school be armed?
Jerah Hutchins, a firearms instructor in Fort Worth said, “Why wouldn’t you want the educators that wanted to volunteer to get the proper training to have a tool on them that can actually allow them to save lives instead of being a shield for bullets.”
Rena Honea, President of the Alliance AFT Dallas, which represents 6,000 teachers and support staff said, “You also have students especially in the secondary schools, these are large people, they have assaulted teachers and what if they assault a teacher and take that gun and shoot somebody else.”
Traelon Rodgers, a high school senior at Townview High School and the President of the NAACP youth chapter in Dallas said, “If I get aggressive with my tone and she feels threatened and that gives her the opportunity to pull her gun out and aim it at me and it’s going to affect minorities more.”
Tom Crowley, a retired Special Agent at the Dallas ATF said, “There’s a lot of retired law enforcement around, why don’t you just hire them as armed security.”
Some on our panel said school security needs to look like the airport and courthouses.
But some question whether the schools and state are willing to spend the money needed.
Honea said, “Not only is the equipment expensive, if we’re going to do it right, you would need someone at every metal detector at every door.”
Crowley said, “Instead of having a bond issue and build a $60 million dollar football stadium, cut it down to $40 million and use the other $20 on security.”
WATCH THE ENTIRE FACEBOOK LIVE HERE