Weapons are on display after an arms purchase event hosted by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in the Queens District of New York City, USA, June 12, 2021. REUTERS / Eduardo Munoz / File Photo
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July 15 (Reuters) – (This July 15 story corrects the name of the superintendent in Ragsdale of Ragland)
Georgia’s second-largest school district has passed a policy to allow non-police officers to carry weapons, part of its response to the shooting at a Texas school that killed 19 children and two adults two months ago.
Cobb County School Board voted 4-2 at a meeting Thursday to adopt the policy as a way to bolster the number of staff carrying guns at a time when it is difficult to find new police officers. The policy would exclude teachers from carrying weapons.
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Employees authorized to carry weapons will receive the same training as certified school resource officers.
It was unclear whether the Atlanta suburban district intended to hire new security personnel other than police officers, or whether it would use existing employees for the role.
During the meeting, opponents of politics booed and shouted, “Delay the vote,” demanding a more detailed discussion at an Aug. 18 meeting before the council made a final decision.
Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said the final approval of any staff would be from school board police chief Ron Storey.
Representatives from the superintendent’s office were not immediately available for comment and could not be contacted by board members who voted on the policy.
In Uvalde, Texas, police took more than an hour to intervene when a gunman entered Robb Elementary School and opened fire on a classroom. The backlash has sparked a national debate about law enforcement response to Uvalde, as well as the risks and benefits of arming school staff to help protect schoolchildren. Read more
A 2014 Georgia state law allows school districts to establish policies to arm teachers and other staff members, but only a handful have done so since the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. dir Ragsdale.
The state school board did not immediately respond to a request about the number of districts that have allowed armed teachers in classrooms.
Prior to the vote, Ragsdale said the district, with 107,000 students, currently has about 70 officers located among its 114 schools.
“If the board gave me a blank check and told me to hire a school resources officer for every school in Cobb County, I couldn’t do it,” Ragsdale said.
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Randi Love report in New York; edited by Jonathan Oatis
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