KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar BluffTeachers with guns is not an option for local school leaders

Teachers with guns is not an option for local school leaders

Teachers with guns is not an option for local school leaders
By: CJ Cassidy

After the recent rash of school shootings, how would you feel about teachers toting guns to school?

That's the proposal by a Wisconsin State Representative, and it's got many people sounding off - including Missouri Governor Matt Blunt, who on Monday said the idea was, "worth discussing."

But by Tuesday, Governor Blunt back-peddled a little bit about his comments. School leaders we spoke with say it's an idea that needs to be thought about very carefully. And reaction to the Governor's comments seem to be the same, regardless of the size of the school district.

We sat down with leaders at Cape and Oran Public Schools, to get their ideas. "I would have reservations about having staff members carry weapons," David Scala, Cape Girardeau Public School Superintendent says.

"I don't think it would be a good idea without a good plan behind it, and right now I haven't heard of a good plan," Oran School Superintendent Mitch Wood says.

"We do quite a bit of training in regards to weapons and we do training in weapons retention as well so your typical teacher might not have that privilege or same training as a police officer would," Resource officer Adam Gleuck adds. He keeps a close eye on goings-on at Cape Central High, and points out another drawback to gun toting teachers.

"We don't want a student getting a hold of a weapon a teacher brought in," Gleuck says.

With only 375 students in the Oran district compared to almost 4,000 in Cape, that's a luxury leaders there simply can't afford.

"We're just as vulnerable as anyone when it comes to someone coming in from the community because they're mad about grades, mad about administration or mad about something that didn't go right 20 years ago," Wood says.

For now, administrators say they're doing their best to step up security in their schools, and encouraging students and teachers to speak up, even anonymously if they sense a problem.