Should school security guards be armed?

It’s a question that comes up in conversation more and more, and now it is being talked about in East Lyme. The district is starting to look into the idea as part of bigger conversations regarding school safety.

Nothing has yet been decided, but according to security director Donald Hull, it’s something that’s being considered.

Lyme-Old Lyme High School has already made the change, which has made the conversation feel much more real. Now, students, teachers, and the community are starting to think about what it could look like here in EL.

Some people think it could make schools safer.

The idea is that if there was ever an emergency, having someone already on campus who is trained and armed could help the situation get handled faster. It could also act as a warning to anyone thinking about causing harm in our school.

“The idea of armed security in any school is to have a response in the event that there was an active shooter incident,” Mr. Hull said.

There’s also the fact that many school security guards are already trained to handle serious situations, and some people feel that adding another protective layer just makes sense.

“School Resource Officers go through all the same mandatory training that all other officers go through,” Mr. Hull said. “Then they attend numerous school-based trainings such as juvenile justice, juvenile trends, gangs. Officers assigned to schools also go through the school-based training required by the board of education.”

For some students, the idea of having weapons in school is uncomfortable. School is supposed to feel like a safe place, and adding armed security could change that feeling.

“Personally, I’d like to be more informed on the training that officers have to take to be able to be armed before we implement it in our school,” junior Shilo Nucci said.

Critics of the issue say they would rather see more focus on issues like mental health and preventing problems before
they happen.

Teachers are also thinking about what this kind of change would mean. History teacher, Matthew LaConti, pointed out that school safety has been an ongoing concern for years.

“Being a teacher since Columbine means we have all seen too many acts of violence in schools for decades on end,” Mr. LaConti said. “School safety is a priority and while there is politics attached to everything, the politics-aside reality is the violence is not going away.”

He also noted that students may be more open to the idea of armed security than some might expect.

“I believe the students see it as an idea whose time has come to be implemented. While it may create some anxiety for a handful, it is likely seen as a policy that would protect the many,” Mr. LaConti said.

“I think our students will quickly become accustomed to armed guards just like when cameras began to be used in schools.”

At the same time, decisions like this aren’t always simple.

“Most importantly [administration] should think about student and staff safety, but I think they, unfortunately, are constrained by budgetary issues, and unless the need is pressing they will flip it to the back burner,” Mr. LaConti said.

To better understand the issue, it also helps to hear from people who have worked directly in school security. Mr. Hull, as a former police officer, has experience working with students and handling safety in schools.

“It takes cooperation from staff, students, and parents for it to be successful.”

Right now the district is still discussing the idea and looking at different options.