Interesting proposal out of Brevard County, Florida, in response to the recent shootings. It would allow some guns in schools, to defend against or deter shooters:
"... The proposal—Sheriff-Trained Onsite Marshal Program (STOMP)—would be limited to full-time staff such as custodians, vice principals, and cafeteria workers. Teachers are not eligible. Among 700 eligible workers polled by the district, almost 40 percent said they would be interested in participating." It would require some 130 hours of training for participants; one would imagine background checks as well.
I quote further: "However, many people are uncomfortable with the idea, including the president of the school district’s teacher union, parents, and gun control advocates. They feel the presence of guns in schools will endanger students....". The only danger I can see would be that of accidental shootings. But accidental shootings claim only around 500 lives annually in the US, hardly a major concern compared to a few school shootings. And those accidents generally involve untrained folks.
Curious, though, that the proposal should exclude teachers. Cafeteria workers are a bit limited in the area of the school they frequent, and janitors tend to be in limited numbers (sometimes nonexistent) on site during the day. And there is usually only one vice principal. You'd think that, given many more teachers on site and in the classrooms, arming a few of them who have volunteered would much better serve the purpose.
But perhaps janitors and cafeteria workers are viewed as more responsible than teachers?
I have worked at a school system as bus driver and as substitute teacher in what is now called "Resource" for children with emotional, physical, or mental problems, slow learners and those that just can't learn. As a bus driver, I drove students and teachers on field trips and sports meets.
I was not in any way qualified to work with these children. I did it because the other teachers wouldn't and it was difficult to hire teachers who would. That has been 10 years ago and I am still in contact with some of these children, now adults. So I must have done something right.
I have also worked as a janitor in a large aerospace company. As a union member, I could "bump" down to a lesser labor grade, if I qualified for it. Over the years, I went straight down from a Class A Inspector to Janitors.
I got to know some of the teachers rather well, professionally and personally. Many years ago I, dated a teacher (14 years )and airline stewardess who became a psychologist, PhD. and school counselor in one of the largest school districts in the US. I am retired and work on a small hunting and cattle ranch in NW Texas. The owner is a retired school principal and math teacher.
I'm giving my background so you can know, what I believe to be my qualifications to answer the question.
Your background checks on your janitors and cleaners are more thorough than those done on teachers (read, little or none.) A person gets a teacher's certification and never have to be re-qualified in the subject they teach.
So to answer the question, "Are Janitors more responsible than teachers?" The answer is an unqualified, emphatic YES.
You had to ask. The long answer is that if I had school-aged children, they would be home schooled.
Posted by: Old Texan | 06/02/2018 at 08:06 AM