The students at Kingsburg High School in California should feel a lot safer at school this year.
Or at least that is the intention of Superintendent Randy Morris who proposed a motion to allow teachers to carry concealed weapons on campus.
Four months ago, the board members of the Kingsburg Joint Union High School District in Fresno, California voted yes to allow a certain number of teachers or staffers to carry firearms to the school.
Two other schools in the state have also followed suit: the Folsom Cordova Unified School District and Anderson Union High School District in Shasta County.
The policy was proposed to the school board following the December 2015 San Bernardino shooting — four hours south of Fresno.
The intention, says Superintendent Morris, is not to take place of law enforcement, but to have staffers who are prepared to respond in an immediate crisis.
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“All we are trying to do is provide an opportunity to limit or eliminate potential casualties during that response time,” he told CBS13.
The Kingsburg Police Chief, Neil Dadian, seems to agree.
“It would be comforting, or nice to know, that somebody was on campus armed and could stop the violence,” he told ABC 30.
There are a few caveats to this new policy.
Only five teachers or staffers will be allowed to carry the weapon on campus. Additionally, those teachers or staffers must complete a comprehensive firearms training and evaluation and must acquire a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Superintendent Morris will select the teachers who will carry, but students will not know who is carrying the guns.
“The expectation of the superintendent is, given the situation, you will protect staff and students with your firearm that you’ve been granted permission to carry,” Morris said.