In response to numerous threats and the rash of mass shootings that have horrified America in recent years, a private Christian school in Iowa has decided that it needs to arm and train staff members so that those employees can, in the event of a horrific shooting, fight back and protect the children in their care from the evildoers.
Though the school, Siouxland Christian School, located in Sioux City, Iowa, is not yet providing details on how many staff members or which staff members will be armed under the new policy, the school did say that it has been considering the policy for over a year.
The letter that announced the new policy to parents particularly noted that the anonymous staff members who will be armed have been specifically trained in how to respond to mass shootings. In the letter, Dr. Laurich said that the armed staff members have been trained to respond directly to the threat in the event of an active shooter on the school campus. Hopefully, that policy will avert a tragic situation such as the one in Uvalde where police officers watch without responding to an active shooting.
In the letter, Siouxland Christian School superintendent Dr. Lindsay Laurich said, “The staff who have been selected and trained will remain anonymous, and with God’s help this layer of protection will never need to be deployed. We expect no changes to the day to day experiences of students and staff.”
She added, noting that the staff will respond directly to the active shooter threat, “In the event of an active shooter event these armed SCS staff are trained to go directly to the threat. Their response will allow teachers and students to get to safe positions and will provide an active response until law enforcement is able to arrive.”
That came after she explained the impetus for the new policy, writing, “It is an unfortunate reality that schools have become the target of those who wish to do evil. Around our nation and sadly more close to home we see threats emerging on a regular basis. We pray for the community of Perry, Iowa, which experienced an active shooter event yesterday. Because school safety is our highest priority at Siouxland Christian School we have determined that it is essential that we take further steps to secure our building and to ensure that your child(ren) are protected at school.”
Dr. Laurich, commenting on why she sees the policy as being important and what it means to her, also wrote, “If a tragic event were to occur at SCS, I need to be able to stand in front of you and say that we have done all that we can do. This is a necessary step we must take.”
And, commenting on the policy having been considered for a long time before the school decided to move forward with it, Dr. Laurcih wrote, “I would just add that we have been working on this plan for over a year. However, we felt that this was a necessary step that was needed for our school community.”
Concluding the letter, she wrote, “School buildings should be safe. Teachers and children should not be afraid to come to school. We must employ all of the tools and resources at our disposal in order to be prepared for worst case scenarios. We thank you for trusting us with your most precious gifts: your children. With God’s help may we do all that we can to uphold this trust and ensure a bright future for the next generation.”
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