School Defense- Coming Out of the
Shadows to Protect Our Children

I was wrong. I assumed that school boards were cowards if they didn't have a publicly announced plan to physically defend their students. I found out that many school boards recognized the need to protect the students and staff, but they were afraid they would lose the political fight to do so. Many of those boards adopted an attitude of "Don't ask and don't tell." That may be the case where you live. Recently in Texas, the legislature made that subterfuge unnecessary. I know that Texas is big, but the problem of school defense is even bigger. One failed school district can hurt all of us in many ways. There are unresolved issues we face as we protect our kids at school.

Bad things happen to good people. It is frightening to admit that evil men and women want to hurt our children. We live in a broken world where celebrity seeking narcissists feel ignored. They are willing to kill our kids to become headline news. That problem isn't going away until we radically change the ethics of journalism. That won't happen any time soon, and there are many things we can do in the meantime to protect our children.

Ignoring violence makes the problem worse. Protecting our children at school reveals our fears. Many people abhor violence even if that violence is used to protect innocent lives. Some of our neighbors can excuse that police officers are armed, but they don't want to know that their neighbors are armed as well. I've heard them say, "Guns don't belong here." Mass-murderers exploit that sentiment and frequently attack churches, schools, and theaters where the victims are disarmed.

This problem is real, and I know someone who was harassed out of her teaching positions because she was a firearms instructor. Putting firearms out of sight so they are out of mind only works so far. .....