Two school shootings a day apart: Wisconsin reckons with impact of armed guards
Shootings involving resource officers renew debate over the role of armed teachers or police in schools
Shootings involving resource officers renew debate over the role of armed teachers or police in schools
Shootings a day apart at two high schools in Wisconsin have shaken the state and sparked a renewed debate over how to combat violence in American schools.
An Oshkosh police department resource officer shot a 16-year-old student Tuesday after the boy stabbed him in the officer’s office at Oshkosh West high school.
A day earlier, a resource officer at Waukesha South high school helped clear students out of a classroom after a 17-year-old student pointed a pellet gun at another student’s head. Another police officer entered the room and shot the student.
Neither of the students who were shot suffered life-threatening injuries.
The Democratic governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers, called the shootings “breathtaking and tragic”.
The Democratic governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers, called the shootings “breathtaking and tragic”.
“The trauma that happens because of this just ripples through the community,” Evers added. “It will take time for people to recover from this. Trauma is a significant issue. We have to be patient.”
The debate about the role of armed teachers or police in schools has been a constant in the wake of school shootings across the country. But rarely have armed resource officers been able to prevent a shooting.
An estimated 43% of public schools have armed officers on campus, according to a survey by the National Center for Education Statistics. The survey covered the 2015-2016 school year, the most recent year surveyed.
That figure doesn’t include schools with armed private security guards or teachers and administrators who carry guns.The US Department of Justice has adopted best practices for resource officers from the National Association of School Resources.
