After the killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., parents with children attending our public schools are cautious, if not downright petrified. While we would like to think that the shooting of 20 6- and 7-year-old children was a random act of a mad man, we need to review our options here in the Brainerd School District 181.

Discussions around the community vary from “It’ll never happen here,” to “What if it happens here?”

There have been a number of possible solutions, remedies and precautions tossed around as to what the district should or could do in an effort to avoid a repeat of what happened in Newtown.

Perhaps one of the most logical, and perhaps the most beneficial to society, would be to hire returning veterans from tours in Afghanistan or Iraq. Sure, they would have to be given an extensive psychological evaluation, and qualify to handle children from pre-school through high school. However, they certainly have the training. Veterans would also be able to find employment in something in which they have been trained.

Hiring veterans to fill positions that would need to be funded either by local taxpayers or the state or federal government might be a hard sell, in light of the fiscal cliff our federal government is facing and the billion dollar deficit our state is facing in the next biennium.

Someone asked if I’d be willing to cough up the local dollars to protect our community’s children. You bet. Even though we have no school-age children, seeing the sadness and sorrow each of the Newtown parents is facing following that day of terror, it would be a small price to pay.

I would rather ante up a few more tax dollars to know the children are not going to have to stare down the barrel of a gun-wielding mentally deranged person.

Most veterans find it difficult to obtain employment upon returning from a tour of duty. Many have not experienced combat but have been trained in combating all sorts of attacks in all types of settings. If our children are as important to us as the children of Newtown were to their grieving families, we, as a community must consider options beyond those which are currently in place within District 181.

Keith Hansen

lakegirl

I think the guards would be outside the school by the door,.

Have you seen the story on the marine who this week in
Tennessee stood guard outside his childrens school?
He was receiving many thank you's from parents who were
concerned about copycat deals.. It was touching as his kids
are 6 and 7 years old.

Curious why teachers would be the first thing you would
think of to cut in exchange for security?
I agree with trip on the many useless govt programs that
should be eliminated. Many duplicates and overused programs.

No, scary

Only one entrance, which is secured, but many emergency exits where you can leave. Like hotels. Of course, then you have the possibility of an insider opening doors for a shooter.

Frankly, I think the guards have been tried and failed. Didn't the kid at Red Lake shoot the guard?

And there were armed guards at Columbine

.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/21/columbine-armed-guards_n_2347096.html

I think there is a lot of

I think there is a lot of things we could do to better secure our schools. Have all classrooms have doors shut and unable to open from the outside, have emergency alert systems in all rooms of schools so other classrooms can have earlier alert, bullet resistant windows on at least ground level windows, surveillance at all entrances to the schools, minimum amount of entrances all other doors locked from the outside, once school has started all entrances are locked from the outside and an intercom system is needed to get in front entrance only, and alarm systems on doors that are emergency exits. Most of these things are much more affordable then paying armed security at all schools.

lakegirl50-give up

By laying off one teacher, you could pay for 5 armed guards. You have it backwards. Besides, if we wouldn't be dumping money into the solyndras of the world, we would have plenty of money for security. Good letter Keith. I wrote the same letter just a couple days ago on this website.

S L O W L Y,

it'll be easier to have armed security at schools than it will be to vaporize every gun in the world. Do you get it yet? Also, make sure you close all approaches to every lake to make sure women who want to drive a car full of kids into them can't. Should I keep going for you..............
Outlaw malpracticing doctors...............
Stop abortion.............

Scary,

America didn't become a penal colony (Like Austrailia) until you nonworkers got to the 50% range and can vote yourselves a larger trough to feed off of.
The rest of us kinda like how the Second Amendment allows us to be armed against your corrupt government leaders. That amendment was intended to protect us all from a tyranical and illegal government and the current one has already demonstrated its contempt of other parts of the Constitution.

Make school safe

When I read what all of us has to say, I say to myself, "people, people, don't you just get it?"

What is a child supposed to do while'st he or she is cowering in the classroom, wait for the guard to run down the hall? What if that is too late?

I thing the only answer is for us to start early, in preschool and have each child issued a carry permit automatic and each child at school to be armed with weaponry and be prepared, better that than a loss of life! They're must be safe guards that is, no clip for children under 12 and no concealed carry permit for children under 8. I would say from age 4 (preeschool and kintergarden) through age 8 each child has a holstered weapon with no clip, a 22 caliber pistol so as to ease in slow.

No child should have a glock pistol for protection until high school also to make sure where there is need and the full compliment of respect and common sense did that.

The culture of safety and respect will end this pain. Time and again when the libs and they're agenda take away are weaponry, the murder rate sky-rockits. Look what happened with the increase in gun shooting in Scotland austrailia etc when guns were outlawed only outlaws had guns and death despair and more murder every day!

The democrat party and they're agenda which is to take away are weaponry would hate me. But a gun prgra, for preschoolers ,aye maybe been toddlers could only make us safer!

Each kid could be issued they're piece when they report to class and then check out when they go home, need to decide if they will carry on the school bus which might be good too. I would not even let my child get on the bus unless I knew fir sure that the driver was armed and why should not the kids be armed too? Even young'uns deserve 2nd and 3rd amendmrnt4

SMTN

Aitkin

Spotted

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Comments (30)

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40535 POINTS

View Profile

Is there anybody in there?

40535

Points

Fair n Balanced 12/20/12 - 11:31 pm

I think there is a Police

officer at BHS all day evey day. Just one though and there are a lot of doors.

1078 POINTS

Mnatthelake

1078

Brainnews 12/21/12 - 09:37 am

Many high schools already employ a safety officer

These people are trained to work with youth.

20069 POINTS

20069

southie11 12/21/12 - 11:37 am

LaPierre of the NRA in the news.

I agree on the armed guards at schools idea and only one entrance per school. Pretty sad, though.

17 POINTS

lakegirl50

lakegirl50 12/21/12 - 12:09 pm

Armed guards in the schools?

Should we cut 10 teaching positions in order to cover the expense of having armed guards at every school? I highly doubt that the "no-new taxes" crowd would be willing to support a referendum in order to pay for this.

4809 POINTS

4809

tripwire3 12/21/12 - 12:32 pm

You're right about that. But I would cut free contraception for the likes of Sandra Fluke and free Viagra for prison inmates to protect my grandchildren. How many other useless gov't programs can we cut in order to save kindergarteners?

27 POINTS

Warriorsfan30 12/21/12 - 12:43 pm

ok with me

I guess you could classify me as one of the "no new taxes" crowd, but this is something I would be willing to give a little more for. There are allot more frivolous things our tax money is already being spent on!

23531 POINTS

sadiemarriedlady

23531

sadiemarriedlady 12/21/12 - 12:49 pm

6210 POINTS

6210

Scary Phailin 12/21/12 - 03:05 pm

Only one....

Only one fire exit door per school?

5744 POINTS

5744

lendad 12/21/12 - 03:22 pm

It just won't work ...

... can you imagine a more boring job than guarding a school that will never get attacked? That boredom would lead to "mall cop"" alertness and efficiency, and would certainly not attract job seekers capable of being a lethal deterrent.