BURTON SCHOOL DISTRICT ASKED TO ALLOW McDade TO USE GYMNASIUM
The Burton School District may look at allowing nearby McDade High School to use the gymnasium next fall for one or more of their volleyball games. Burton Superintendent Edna Kennedy told the school board last night (Monday) that she had been contacted informally about allowing McDade using the gym. The McDade School District is located between Paige and Elgin and was only grades K through 8, with the High School students going to Elgin. Recently, though, they have had a large increase in enrollment and have added a High School. Dr. Kennedy said that McDade is planning a bond issue, but they inquired about using the Burton gym until theirs is constructed. She said the issue would be brought to the board when more of the details were known.
Dr. Kennedy also said that they have been working with Blinn College and the Hodde Technical Education Center on developing classes for next year. She said the High School Principal Karen Steenken and Counselor Brenda Ritter have been working on classes in Nursing and Industrial Skills that would allow Burton students to transition directly into the Blinn programs. She said it would be presented to the board next month with more details.
During the open forum portion of the meeting, Burton Mayor David Zajicek told the board they should allow teachers or staff to become School Marshals to increase campus safety. He said that after training, the volunteers would be allowed to keep a firearm on campus in a locked safe. Their identity would be kept confidential.
The board went into Executive Session after the public meeting to discuss the Teacher contracts for the upcoming school year.
Most of Jim’s ideas are good, but they don’t go far enough. The School Marshall plan has many more details to it than what was discussed in this article. It’s not about arming a bunch of teachers. Not all teachers are qualified to take on that level of responsibility, nor do all of them want to. However, many are quite capable and would be willing to go through the necessary psychological testing and training requirements. In this world that we live in today we may have to unfortunately take such drastic steps to protect our kids. Teachers are willing to take a bullet for your children, but that only stops one. In moving forward with new ways to protect our kids, all feelings and all prospectives should be considered, but remember that we are all on the same side, the side that takes care of our kids.
Great suggestions Jim. Now if only all schools would adhere your advice, it would be a great start!!
Keep a firearm on campus in a locked safe? No matter your opinion on gun control, that doesn’t seem like an effective deterrent. Either carry it, or forget about it. Or, like so many others who carry a handgun daily, carry it, and forget it in the car, in the bathroom, in the locker room, in the desk drawer, etc., etc., etc. And before folks start in on me, I am a veteran, I’ve carried firearms daily in my profession, I’m an NRA member, and I am against wholesale gun control. I do not think teachers carrying guns is going to make a bit of difference in the school shootings problem, however, and definitely not at all if they don’t even have them on their person every day. My mom was a 30 year public high-school teacher in one of the most conservative communities in the U.S., and she and her teacher-buddies think it’s nuts to expect armed teachers to fix this problem. She carried a handgun in her car the entire time she taught, even after guns were banned from campus, but she never brought it into the school, and still wouldn’t today.
I am not a fan of arming teachers. There are many other ways to limit the risks.
One way would be to enter into an agreement with the county or city to provide a certified law officer to be on campus for so many hours a week. The agreement could specify regular scheduled events such as athletic events, School wide programs, before the start of school each day and thirty minutes when School is let out each day, graduation, drug testing days and more. It could also stipulate “rounds” of so much length each day. When not in the school, the law enforcement officer could perform county or city duties in the area within say five miles of the district. The understanding would be this officer would be on first call to the school. The agreement would work much like the agreement developed to get an EMT in Burton.
Limit access to the school buildings. A secure perimeter around the school can be established to some extent. The doors that face the outside should be marked as emergency exits. They should remain locked at all times. The only way they should be opened is from a panic bar inside. The doors should have bullet proof glass to allow visibility from inside. They can be coated to prevent visibility from the outside.
I believe we installed deadbolts on the new classrooms as a deterrent in the original construction. Teachers were told they could lock the doors after all their students were in the classroom. Do that each class period of the day to limit an active shooter access to classrooms. The teachers should have the ability to contact the offices in emergency. Students are allowed to have cell phones. Educate them to use 911 and to provide information to authorities in emergency.
Other ideas would be to provide each classroom with pepper spray, maybe a taser gun and to utilize fire extinguishers to spray the eyes if the shooter enters the classroom. Any training they could receive to defend themselves and the students until a law enforcement officer could arrive would be helpful.
In years previous we provided the local law enforcement with maps of our facilities. We labeled all the buildings on the map. We put signs on each building, same as the map to allow the officers to identify them on site. We provided them with master keys to the buildings. We allowed them access to the entire site to familiarize them with our place and conduct drills on the site on the weekends and summer. We met with all city, county and state officials to prepare for this emergency and natural disasters. It was very helpful when the hurricanes came through.
Be prepared!
Very refreshing to see so much common sense on display. I wish I knew how to make your comment a part of the national dialogue.