Aschool in Sioux City, Iowa, has told parents that it is now arming
teachers so they can actively respond to a gunman in the event of a school
shooting.

In a letter from Siouxland Christian School, published in full by local
news channel KTIV on January 6, superintendent Lindsay Laurich said armed
staff "are trained to go directly to the threat" and would "allow teachers
and students to get to safe positions and will provide an active response
until law enforcement is able to arrive."

It came just days after a deadly shooting elsewhere in the state. Two
people�including the principal�were killed and six others injured after
gunfire broke out at Perry High School. Authorities identified 17-year-old
student Dylan Butler as the shooter, who also died of an apparent self-
inflicted gunshot.

Laurich referenced the shooting in Perry in her letter, writing that it
was "an unfortunate reality that schools have become the target of those
who wish to do evil."

Arming schoolteachers has been a suggestion made numerous times in the
wake of often deadly school shootings. Proponents such as National Rifle
Association (NRA) CEO Wayne LaPierre have argued that "to stop a bad guy
with a gun, it takes a good guy with a gun."

However, critics say that school shootings serve as a sobering example of
why greater restrictions on access to guns is needed, while teachers are
often opposed to policies that would see them armed.

The National Education Association, which represents school staff, said in
2018 that a greater volume of deadly weapons in schools would make
accidents, and potential fatalities, more likely. "Our students need more
books, art and music programs, nurses and school counselors; they do not
need more guns in their classrooms," then-NEA President Lily Eskelsen
Garc�a said.

Newsweek approached Laurich via email for further comment on Thursday.

Laurich wrote that the armed staff at Siouxland Christian School had been
selected and trained with "input from law enforcement, our insurance
carrier, legal advisors and industry experts," and that administrators had
been working on the policy for a year before implementing it. She added
that the staff would remain anonymous.

Laurich told parents that the decision to arm staff had been "a difficult
one," but in the event a shooting were to occur at the school, "I need to
be able to stand in front of you and say that we have done all that we can
do. This is a necessary step we must take."

"Teachers and children should not be afraid to come to school," she added.
"We must employ all of the tools and resources at our disposal in order to
be prepared for worst case scenarios."

Siouxland Christian School is thought not to be the only school to have
armed teachers. As of 2018, at least 170 school districts in Texas,
including Harrold Independent School District, have implemented policies
to arm educators and staff, according to The Texas Tribune.

A school in Ohio has also reportedly done so, while Florida legislators
considered a law in 2018 to train 37,000 educational staff across the
state.

Arming staff in private institutions like Siouxland Christian School is an
easier process as they do not require the approval of local lawmakers, as
public schools do.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/iowa-school-starts-arming-its-
teachers/ar-BB1heQK7

Jill's Gun Control wrote:
> Aschool in Sioux City, Iowa, has told parents that it is now arming
> teachers so they can actively respond to a gunman in the event of a school
> shooting.
>
> In a letter from Siouxland Christian School, published in full by local

>
> https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/iowa-school-starts-arming-its-
> teachers/ar-BB1heQK7
>