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An Iowa school district approved a measure allowing some staff members to carry firearms on campus.
"No one wants guns in school, but we want bad guys with a gun even less," Cherokee Schools Superintendent Kim Lingenfelter said, according to KCRG. "And the board has taken a very measured and serious approach to the challenge of keeping students safe and staff."
Cherokee is the second school district in the state to pass a measure allowing some teachers and other staff to carry firearms following the devastating mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 students and two teachers dead. The Spirit Lake School Board voted in August to allow 10 staff members to carry firearms.
The Cherokee district made the decision Monday during a school board meeting, KCRG reported. Lingenfelter said discussions allowing some staff members to carry guns at schools began in July in conjunction with local law enforcement, a school resource officer and the chief of police.
Photo of Washington High School in Cherokee, Iowa. (Google Maps )
Parents and teachers spoke at the meeting about whether to change the district’s policy. The school board said a poll was taken ahead of the discussion and found 32 people were in favor of changing the policy to allow armed staff, and 11 people opposed the change.
"I just think of the difference it could have made at Sandy Hook, or in Texas," one parent who was in favor of the change said, according to Siouxland News.
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"I think they should be afforded that safety that government and politicians have," another man, Larry Pigott, grandfather of 11 kids in the school district, said. "I feel that is a necessity due to the times that we are living in."
A photo of various handguns on display. (iStock)
Others, including the choir director at the district and a school nurse, spoke out against the new policy.
The policy for the district after the change now reads: "Weapons under the control of law enforcement officials and staff approved by an administrative team are exempt" from any ban on weapons on campus.
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The district will soon approve a list of teachers who want to carry guns on school property. The staff members will be required to attend monthly training sessions in order to continue carrying a firearm on school premises.
Row of empty desks in front of whiteboard. Interior of classroom in school. (iStock)
Other school districts throughout the nation have recently moved to also allow teachers to arm themselves in order to protect against a potential shooting. For example, the Ohio legislature passed a bill over the summer allowing teachers and other staff to carry firearms with less training time than previously required.
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Another school district in North Carolina announced plans over the summer to add AR-15s to safes placed in schools to beef up security in the event of a tragedy.
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