Bill to arm teachers in classrooms

ARMED: Is this what it's coming to? PICTURE / GETTY IMAGES

Behave yourselves!
And that's for the kids in the Pennsylvania schools! For that matter, all schools, for who needs unruly ragamuffins in the classroom?
But it's possibly going to be a 'new day' for some kids.

Pennsylvania lawmakers have taken another step toward allowing teachers and school employees to carry guns on school grounds, despite a promised veto by the State governor and opposition from many school officials.

The school safety bill, as it is called, would give school boards the authority to establish policies for licensed and trained employees to carry firearms on school property. Supporters say the measure aims to give local authorities another way to combat acts of violence in schools while detractors argue that guns in the hands of teachers and other less experienced gun users could make for more dangerous teaching environments.

"Bad guys keep finding a way to get into our schools and create these tragedies," was the statement from Republican Senator Scott Martin who co-sponsored the bill. "These [armed school employees] would be able to defend themselves or end the threat before it goes rampant throughout the entire building," while his co-sponsor said that it would give "trained school personnel the opportunity to serve as first responders when time is of the essence during acts of school violence".

Opponents have said that the process to train teachers as first responders is not worth the energy or the risk as the training required would be costly and time-consuming, and even if teachers went through such training they would not be as equally prepared as a police officer in an emergency. They recommend greater funding for schools which would then allow them to hire trained security professionals or police officers if they felt the need was there for such support.

Many expressed the concern that an intruder or someone else could overpower the teacher and take the firearm because they would not have had the same training as a police officer.

The arguments for and against have been raging through the newspapers and at PTA meetings over the last few months. But the bill, which passed with a 9-3 vote in its favour at the committee stage, does now head to the state Senate.

Nationally in the USA there have been more than 200 school shootings since 2013.
So, kids - do your homework, behave in the classroom and in the schoolyard - and keep away from your 'Hopalong Cassidy' teachers and all will be fine!