Shortway's commentts on arming school guards

1.I couldn’t disagree with the mayor’s remarks more. The tragedy in Florida could have easily been prevented with a tiny bit more effort on the part of all those involved in terms of getting the boy off the streets (or any/all available weapons removed) long before this happened. As President Trump said today, we have a problem with mental health issues in this country and this is the heart of the problem. So we need to do some homework and some planning. And we need to involve people more - it is their school, their town, their relative, their student. We all have a responsibility to each other here. MYOB doesn’t apply!
So, there is certainly more than “only one way” to prevent these things.
2. I’m having a real problem understanding his speech as reported in the Advertiser News:
“Deadly force is necessary when a law enforcement officer uses with the purpose of causing, or which the officer knows to create a substantial risk of causing, death or serious bodily harm.”
Makes zero sense and the paper should have asked for a clarification.
3. The remarks were made during a highly charged and very emotional time. What, exactly, would the proposal mean to school/police department budgets? Every door to all the schools in Vernon Township? All day long? What about nighttime when someone breaks in and waits for his chance?
4. So, here I go to school. In through the only entrance past an armed guard. Get ready for the active shooter drill... but wait a minute... kids change classrooms every 45-50 minutes. Better have active shooter drills for each new location they find themselves in during the day... Are you kidding me???
This is school we’re talking about. School.
We’ve made it through so far. With a little more attention to our kids, students, classmates we should never, ever have a problem... And the benefits to the learning environment will be many.
Pete Coombs (visiting- all my children grew up here..)
Wakefield, Mass