On Wednesday evening, December 13, 2016, the Hanover School District in rural El Paso County, Colorado, approved by a 3-2 vote to allow “qualified teachers and other staff members” to carry guns while on school grounds. The district’s two schools serve about 270 students.
The members of the Board of Education expressed fears of a mass shooting, citing the existence of marijuana growing operations in the area that may pose security concerns for the district, believing foreign cartels may be involved. That, they concluded, was a threat to student safety and arming teachers is a cost-effective way to keep students safe, since it could take 20-30 minutes for law enforcement to arrive on scene. The district currently shares a single resource officer with four other districts.
The resolution calls for the training of teachers and staff before they would be allowed to carry on campus. Participation by the teachers in the program is completely voluntary.
School board President Mark McPherson said the proposal had been in the works for six months and would take several more months to implement the program and train the teachers and staff. — by Michael Wisdom, Senior Contributing Editor, Texas & U.S. Law Shield Blog
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