Duval County had a job fair for 105 safety assistants, and received 316 applicants. I am reminded of the Real World tagline, when people stop being polite, and start getting real. Well friends the fact we are going to have barely trained armed personnel in our schools and classes is getting all to real.
From the Times Union:
From the Times Union:
Micheal P. Edwards, director of the district’s police force, told the School Board that although he is hiring 105 safety assistants — one for each elementary school — 316 people have applied for the newly created positions.
School safety assistants are supposed to provide a first defense against armed intruders. They’re not sworn law enforcement officers, but they’ll carry guns, wear safety gear and get more training than most security guards.
Um, most security guards!?! No #@%^ing way!!!
More from the Times Union
Duval’s dark blue school police uniforms resemble JSO’s and other police agency uniforms. The school safety assistants will wear tan vests and pants and tan or green shirts, he said.
Also, school police officers wear guns and safety gear in plain sight, on their belts.
School safety assistants will have some of the same gear and weapons — even bullet-resistant vests — but their guns must be concealed by state law, Edwards said.
That’s why the vests they wear will be long, like safari vests, covering their waist and their weapons. It will still be easy to reach them, he added.
They are going to wear tunics and look like TV pow's Safari Dan? Oh hell no.
And some more:
“We want these individuals to be part of the school family,” Edwards said, adding that assistants may speak to children and school staff, but they won’t be counseling, teaching classes, investigating crimes or handling discipline, as regular school police sometimes do.
No absolutely not, I don't want anybody with a gun in my classroom. Now if you are a trained officer and have a legitimate reason to be there, sure, but that's it.
Now some people might ask, am I not afraid about some armed intruder and the answer is sure but what I am more afraid of is some half trained guy with a gun not recognizing a kid in crisis and shooting them. What I am much more scared of is an accident or them confusing defiance and disruption with a situation that needs a gun.
This doesn't make me feel better about the situation either.
From the Tampa Times
For more than a year, the state of Florida failed to review national background checks on tens of thousands of applications for concealed weapons permits, potentially allowing drug addicts or people with a mental illness to carry firearms in public.
Oy vey.
Look I get the district was dealt a bad hand by the republican's in Tallahassee, they are the real villains here, but these safety assistants make me feel less safe and guns really have no place in a classroom.
A bit off topic, but I bet the training sessions
ReplyDeletethey will be providing will be paid, yet teachers are expected to give up their summer days for professional development, with no stipend.
I think your concerns are overblown. Jacksonville is a big military town and former military personnel live in Jacksonville. It is possible that many of the people that are applying for the Safety Assistant positions are former military with extensive firearm experience. You may also have retired police officers applying for this position. There are many more applicants (316) than there are Safety Assistant positions (105). Thus, they will find many people that are very well qualified. These Safety Assistants will be placed in Elementary Schools only, not Middle Schools nor High Schools.
ReplyDelete