District 203 Opposes Arming Teachers Again

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The subject of arming teachers came up once again at the District 203 School Board meeting.

Student Safety Resolution

The group was presented with the Illinois Association of School Board’s 2019 resolution proposals.

The first on the list is a student safety resolution, which was presented last year as well. It would allow school employees the option of carrying a legal, concealed firearm on district property.

Not Supportive

The board and a few community members spoke about their strong opposition to the resolution – the same stance 203 took in 2018.

“The state shouldn’t expose kids unnecessarily to any tool of violence. Adding guns into the circulation will always put kids at risk. And the state should universally adopt the position to not arm school district employees,” said parent Allison Longenbaugh.

Statement on Opposition

The group agreed to draft a statement explaining why they don’t support it, which will be presented at the IASB Delegate Assembly this November.

“Because I think that our district is a large district, we’re leaders, and we would want to ensure that our opposition was well known, and that we’re able to defeat this resolution as we did last year,” explained Board President Kristen Fitzgerald.

The board will vote on which member will represent the district and read their opposition statement at their next meeting.

Naperville News 17’s Christine Lena reports.