ADDISON, Mich. – Should the staff at Addison Community Schools be allowed to carry guns?
The Addison Community School District held a forum on the topic Monday night.
There is no police department in Addison, which is located in northwest Lenawee County. It relies on the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Department.
The Sheriff's Department is not that close to the community and at times it can take up to 13 minutes for a response. When you have a school shooting, time is of the essence.
Addison Community School Superintendent Mark Wara has already taken measures to make sure the students in his care are safe.
A $50,000 grant awarded to the district helped step up safety measures.
However, there is no onsite resource officer. The district has been exploring arming staff, which doesn’t just mean teachers.
"It is just a fact finding we want to hear from the community, how they feel specifically about employees carrying guns," said Wara.
There are about eight employees in this district who have CPLs. If they do decide to go this route the staff member would have to have a psych evaluation.
A CPL wouldn't be enough. They would have to have advance training.
In return for carrying in school they would also get a small monitory stipend. School officials are eager to see what community members have to say about the topic.