Advertisement
Soapbox Philosophy: Armed security, good neighbors help to address school shootings
by Gregory R. Norfleet · Op-Ed · February 22, 2018


In light of yet another school shooting, I would advocate for a team effort between private citizens and government that combines proactive and preventative solutions.


In simple terms, citizens should befriend the loners, the outcasts, and those seeking attention by lashing out; and, second, local, state and federal governments should work together to put armed security at public schools.

Almost two years ago, the City of West Branch and West Branch Community Schools joined together to formally bring a police officer into the school system on a regular basis, albeit part-time.

The purpose was less for protection and more for familiarity and education. The officer would get to know the pupils, both formally and informally, with the hopes that children would find it easier to approach police when they needed help.

This was a proactive move by the school and city that would help diffuse potential barriers. It increased personal, face-to-face engagement between children and officers. And while the officer would dress informally, though still readily identified as an officer, they would also carry a gun.

The idea worked. And, after the first year, the school and city agreed, after seeing the benefit, to roughly double the hours of that officer.

This newspaper at the time wrote an editorial supporting the plan, and in that editorial also wrote that, “our thoughts turn to threats from the outside, and we find ourselves hoping the school will post signs on exterior doors indicating that an armed officer walks these halls.”

Now consider this: Why, out of all of the government buildings, do schools not have armed guards? The president has the Secret Service. Congress has armed guards. Even some Social Security and driver’s license facilities have armed security. University of Iowa has its own police force. Courthouses have bailiffs and deputies. The West Branch Police Department and National Park Service bring in extra security for Hoover’s Hometown Days. And you can often see a police presence at West Branch sporting events.

Iowa has a compulsory attendance law — your children have to go to school somewhere. And nearly half a million Iowa children (485,147 in 2016-17) attend government K-12 schools. How is it that numerous school shootings have not compelled state and federal governments to increase funding for security at government-run schools?

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is co-sponsoring a bill that would, in part, increase federal funding for school security by $30 million per year for 10 years — $300 million total — under Title III funding, which helps fund K-12 schools.

Anyone interested?

This runs counter to President Trump’s plan to reduce funding for public school security by $25 million.

Increasing armed security at schools only addresses part of the problem — when things have already gone too far and a person has degenerated to the point that they believe shooting up a school is their best outlet.

Now the proactive part. This is much harder, and it requires all of us to do our best to be good neighbors. There is no government funding here. You have to pay for it yourself.

Yet this is a fight good people can win because we have far, far greater numbers.

West Branch High School teacher Abby Noelck made a strong point in recent tweets, calling on students to act unselfishly toward classmates: “STUDENTS: the thing that you can do TODAY that can actually make a difference is ask yourself, ‘How am I treating my fellow classmates?’ When your teacher asks you to put yourselves in groups do you PURPOSELY not make eye contact with certain people so that they won’t ask to join you? YES, YOU DO. I see it every day in my classroom. Little things matter. Lots of little things drive people to BIG things, both good & bad. Can you be better today than you were yesterday?”

Interestingly, this newspaper recently received a letter promoting Iowa Child Support Program that includes this statement, “A child needs love, care, and financial support of both parents. This is true even when the parents live in different households.”

Like Noelck’s statement, this promotes more human interaction.

We need to shift the culture so that people pay less attention to their smartphones and more attention to faith, family and friends. We cannot stress enough that maintaining healthy relationships is one of the best ways to prevent someone from committing acts of violence. Study after study shows that healthy human interaction promotes good mental health.

Will we still need funding for mental health? Of course. Will befriending outcasts prevent every mass shooting? Of course not. Will armed guards protect everyone? No. Evil will still exist, and we are imperfect people.

But we cannot and should not think that government can solve this problem alone. The Second Amendment arms far more law-abiding citizens than it does criminals, and it has prevented more school shootings — or mass shootings anywhere — than we will ever know.

It is interesting to point out that even though selling, buying and owning guns is legal in the United States, we still have a black market that gets guns to criminals no longer allowed to legally purchase them. What sense, then, does it make to take guns from law-abiding citizens?

This is not a call for “more guns,” it is a call for more strategic use of funding that puts trained and vetted security in schools.

And it calls on us to do our part, as citizens, to help those who draw away from society by welcoming them back and making them feel genuinely valuable once again.

Citizens who want to reduce the number of school shootings can encourage more funding for school security, and can give of themselves to be good neighbors.



Gregory R. Norfleet is the editor of the West Branch Times. You may reach him at gregory.norfleet@westbranchtimes.com or 319-643-2131.