Teachers at Arms

OPINION

Teachers at Arms

In an era defined by an increase in violence, the act of arming teachers should be considered for the protection of students.

BY KYLIE BURKS

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Gone are the days when students attend school without regular intruder drills, potential lock downs, and the fear of a school shooter entering the building, looking to harm. Whenever we hear about another school being targeted and attacked, a sense of horror fills us, followed by a sense of relief because it wasn’t us, this time. As more and more stories of school shootings make the news, the fear of not making it home every time the school bell rings looms on students. This is why it’s time for schools to look into building up the figurative barrier between students and bullets. This can be done through the arming of select teachers and administrators throughout the building. Before changing the policy that allows trained and certified teachers to carry guns on school property, the stipulation of the law has to be considered. “Missouri prohibits the carrying of a firearm, whether loaded or unloaded, into any school, onto any school bus, or onto the premises of any function or activity sponsored or sanctioned by school officials or the district school board,” Gifford Law Center says, citing the gun policy for Missouri. However, this law does include some loopholes. “This prohibition also does not apply to any person with a valid concealed 39

carry permit or endorsement (with permission from the school) or to school administrators or teachers who have been designated as school protection officers,” Gifford Law Center also stated. Based on these statements, it would be possible for Springfield Public Schools to introduce a policy allowing select teachers to carry guns. As of right now, the Springfield School Board’s stance on the subject is no. “It is not district practice to allow any staff to carry weapons outside

“I feel safe here, but I’m sure the schools where things like this have occurred said that as well,” Powers said.

of our school resource officers,” Tammi Harrington, secretary to the Superintendent said. With the present policies in place, it is not likely that this could become a reality, but the sheer matter of increased security in a dangerous world begs the question of whether this should be reversed. Although the need for extra protection in Springfield Public Schools doesn’t seem like a big issue, the risk in the United States is growing. “There have been 15 school shootings this year, 74 since 2018,” Education Week, an organization which tracks school violence, reported. Not only that, but the number of school shootings since the devastating Columbine High School massacre in 1999, the first recorded high school shooting in the United States, has increased exponentially, according to a timeline published by security.org. These statistics may feel like meer numbers on a page, since we have not had a school shooting in Springfield. Although this is true, no one knows what school will be next. Therefore, it is reasonable to implore Springfield Public Schools to consider increased security on school premises. Security already in place at Springfield high schools includes two school police officers stationed in the building. One of our school police officers is Officer Goss, and he patrols the school, making sure everyone is safe. He is not

necessarily opposed to arming teachers. “It really depends on the situation,” Goss said. “It [also] really kind of depends on the individual person. Our school district is fortunate in that there’s going to be at least one armed officer here.” In a potential emergency situation, there is the power of numbers to consider. If Officer Goss had gun backup from a handful of teachers who had been extensively trained in defense tactics, the chance of students being evacuated without harm would increase. In order for a teacher to become qualified in carrying a gun on school property and be able to use it in a crisis situation, the individual would have to go through extensive training and screening prior to earning their license. “You would have to do a second round of [background checks],” Goss said, explaining what he thinks would need to happen before teachers would be allowed to carry guns. “There would have to be some gun safety courses, there would have to be something similar to what you have for conceal and carry to make sure if someone was proficient with [the gun], there would have to be some kind of arranged qualifications. There would be a lot of steps.” Going through this amount of training would be crucial in order for the concept to even be considered. That, coupled with the freedom of the individual teacher to decide if he or she would want to undergo this process, would all be important in determining who was fit to be an added wall of protection. Dr. Powers, Kickapoo’s principal, sits on the fence on the subject of arming teachers. “I honestly don’t know how I feel about it,” Powers said. “I feel safe here, but I’m sure the schools where things like this have occurred said that as well.” Despite this, Powers agreed that if extensive training was conducted and varying kinds of exams were conducted on the potential subjects, he would not be closed off to the idea. “I think just like any police officer, whether school police, or city, county, et cetera, I think all those folks go through all of those background checks, and psychological exams, and the training that they do, not only before but on a consistent basis,” Powers said. “They’re constantly training and learning.” He went on to say that if this amount of training was required for teachers to carry firearms, he would be open to the idea. Guns are a powerful tool. They often get labeled as killing devices that steal life instead of give. I disagree. I believe if guns are handled by the right people in the right circumstances and under the right conditions, guns can preserve life instead of stealing it away. Students’ lives matter, and arming teachers will give every person involved a fighting chance in a situation that threatens those very lives.

Guns can be used to protect or destroy, so in order to ensure student and teacher safety, teachers would have to undergo training similar to that of a conceal and carry license.

OPINION

Student Section Savages

Is this tradition just another exclusive club?

BY CAYLEE HOWSER

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A t-shirt can mean metaphorical life or death for a teenager. At Kickapoo, we have had the tradition of ‘Superfans’ for decades. For those unaware of this tradition, it is a group of senior students who are handed down the title from the seniors before them. The summer before school starts, the graduated Superfans decide who their shirt will go to and surprise the incoming seniors with the title. The purpose of having Superfans is to have a group of students who attend all school sporting events so that everyone has cheerleaders backing them. While this may seem like an inclusive idea for the sports that are often shoved to the side of the spotlight, after attending a football game where the real stars are the Superfans you might think differently. I’ve wondered since I went to my first Kickapoo football game as a freshman what the point of having Superfans was. The same year, in Broadcast Journalism I did a project about this topic. That year it was the class of 2020 who were the Superfans. I interviewed a few of them and thought they were super cool and I wanted to be like them. While exploring the topic and who to interview, I realized I should get a perspective of what the administrators thought. This idea led me to a very eye opening conversation with Mrs. Hunsaker. It’s been three years since we had that talk and yet some how it what she said always stuck with me. She said she thought we should all be Kickapoo Superfans and cheer each other on rather than a select few taking over and telling the rest how to act. Mrs. Hunsaker stated that having Superfans made others feel out of place and that it was a very exclusionary thing. Ever since then, gradually, I began to mature and agree. I don’t have anything against the kids who are selected to be Superfans. Some of them are my good friends. It’s the principle of “I’m better than you and what I say is more valid than what you say because I have this shirt and you don’t.” When you think of topics such as this in hindsight they really don’t matter. It isn’t 41

Students cheer and celebrate a victory during the pink out football game.

the end of the world either way. If I were to be given a shirt I would be more than happy to accept, because I know it’s not that serious and I just really like screaming at sporting events. Dressing up and getting hype at games have been some of the best memories of my high school career. Regardless, I think the situation should be talked about more. Is it really necessary? Do kids in high school not feel excluded enough without trivial things like this? It leaves me wondering how long this tradition will go on. I don’t see any end in the foreseeable future, and that is okay. It doesn’t make the people participating bad people, They’re all actually very cool people. The tradition doesn’t necessarily need to stop, it just needs a reality check. The necessity of having this tradition is something to think more deeply about when you are wishing you had one of those shirts. They don’t actually mean anything, much like a lot of things you will be excluded from in high school. At some point you must realize that is how life is sometimes. No it doesn’t always make sense, and yes sometimes it really sucks. A selected Superfan, Connor Owens shared his point of view. Owens stated, “The class of 2021 Superfans didn’t hand their shirts down necessarily. They more or less just told their friend group to figure it out.” The way he put it definitely makes the idea seem more inclusive. “I do not see anything wrong with it, like it’s the same as student council people just get chosen for it. I don’t think it’s excluding people because we’re just leading them. We’re showing them what to do and want everyone to join in,” Owens said. While acknowledging in the past the Superfans have mainly attended only major events, Owens stated that they try to have at least four Superfans at each event (ex: volleyball, softball, cross country). They plan to expand their support and attend robotics competitions. “No one should feel left out. We want as many people there as possible and just get loud and have fun,” Owens said. While I can agree with this perspective, that isn’t how it always appears and not everyone involved has that mindset. I think to solve this we should prioritize the goal Owens said previously. If you haven’t been to a Kickapoo football game, basketball game, robotics tournament, cross country meet, or anything in between, you need to. The memories that are made with your friends and the friends you will make when we are all together will last a lifetime. From freshman year to junior year I have gradually seen less of a gap between Superfans and the rest of the people in the student section. It’s more just all seniors lead the student section and encourage everyone to get hype. My hope is this trend continues and slowly just comes to an end because do we really need another reason for people to feel excluded in high school? From who you sit with at lunch to what you wear, and anything in between. No one wants to be excluded and the “One Tribe” mindset would be beneficial here.