Under what
The New York Times described as "an unusually heavy security presence" that included a bomb-sniffing dog and dozen officers, a task force funded with a million dollars from the National Rifle Association released its
225-page report on school security at a press conference Tuesday. The report of the National School Shield was three months in the making. Task force chief Asa Hutchinson, former head of the Drug Enforcement Administration and former Republican congressman from Arkansas who is seeking another swing at the state's
governorship, provided a low-key presentation of the report and its 10 findings and eight recommendations.
They are heavy on guns and what amounts to militarizing schools, although there are proposals about better surveillance, better school bus routing, and better obvious measures like providing more securable windows and doors. There is also a mental health component. But the NSS's proposal for armed guards in schools is a no-go for the extremist Gun Owners of America. They think armed guards would be too expensive and want teachers armed instead.
A good portion of the task force's recommendations would have the NRA-funded NSS involved at various levels in future school security matters, including assessing school security, training security personnel and being the recognized advocative at the state and federal level for school security issues. There is a heavy emphasis on the use of guns and in generally militarizing the schools.
The report found: many schools as well as states have not paid attention to security needs; they have no formal security plan; armed security officers have "proven to be an important layer of security for prevention and response in the case of an active threat on a school campus"; local school authorities should make decisions about what security level is needed; funding is often inadequate to provide professional security officers so staff members in some schools have armed themselves; there is a need for on-line tools so schools can better assess their security needs; there needs to be better, unfragmented coordination of federal resources for school security programs; and too little attention is being paid to following up on indications that an outbreak of violence may be brewing at a school. Read more about the task force's recommendations below the fold.
To achieve better school security the task force recommended: using the its model training program for security resource officers; adopting a model law for armed school personnel who are not sworn law enforcement officers or professional security guards; having NSS run a pilot self-assessment on-line tool in three school districts; setting state standards for school security; establishing a lead agency to coordinate federal funding local school security programs; having the NSS with NRA funding act as a non-profit national advocate for better school security; setting up a "specific pilot program on threat assessments and mental health."
The task force took note of inadequate financial resources available for security at many schools—for instance, in Virginia—without making mention of the irony that the right-wing political forces that have worked so diligently to cut school budgets are also politically aligned with the NRA and often take campaign contributions from the organization.
The rival Gun Owners of America, one of several organizations that views the NRA as wimps and captive to the gun manufacturers, rejected the National School Shield's recommendations:
"The armed guard approach would be prohibitively expensive," says Erich Pratt, director of communications at Gun Owners of America. "At any one time there are 135,000 police on duty in the country, and there are about that many schools. That shows you how huge of a deal it would be."
GOA backs allowing teachers to carry guns, rather than training special personnel. "Teachers and princip[al]s who are authorized by state to concealed carry should be authorized to concealed carry in school. ... As far as the armed guard approach, it's not possible to have enough of them to cover any school."
Pratt was not asked if the GOA supports having the kids carry concealed, too.
Bruce Hunter of the School Superintendents Association says the cost of armed guards in all schools could be $5 billion annually based on estimates that each officer costs $50.000-$80,000 a year in salary and benefits.In making its case for more armed personnel at schools, a subject that has split school administrations and parents nationwide, the NSS task force fudged reality in at least one instance. Its report states:
During the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School, there was a full-time SRO on campus. Although the officer engaged in brief gunfire with the two murderers, which likely saved several lives, the officer remained outside the building caring for a
wounded student as the killers proceeded inside. With recent increased attention on
the impact of SROs on school safety, and developments in training methods and
procedures, armed guards are now able to more effectively protect students. If the
situation at Columbine were to repeat itself, a trained SRO would have the skills to
directly engage the active shooter and would be aware that neutralizing the threat is the
first priority.
Just one problem. That distorts what actually happened at Columbine. The SRO in question was a highly trained deputy sheriff. By the time he returned to the school from his lunch break, the two teenaged shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, had put bullets into 11 students, and two were already dead. Harris and the deputy exchanged gunfire in the parking lot. Harris then went back into the school and continued his rampage. The deputy called the sheriff's dispatcher to seek emergency assistance. There is no evidence whatsoever that this brief exchange saved any lives.
While school security is an issue of concern to every parent, teacher and administrator in the nation, turning over improvements in that regard to an NRA-funded operation, one that distorts the public record to make its points, seems like an especially bad idea.