On Sept.18, the Board of Education for Peyton School District 23 Jt in Peyton, Colorado, unanimously approved a resolution to allow certain employees to be designated as security officers and authorized to carry firearms on school property, as permitted by law. The decision followed a series of town hall meetings to discuss the proposal.According to the September issue of ìThe New Falcon Herald,î the proposal for the armed security team was prompted by three considerations: school shootings are a reality; schools are soft targets, meaning they are relatively unprotected or vulnerable; and no school is immune to this type of violence.Tim Kistler, Peyton School District superintendent, said the BOE wanted to make sure the community knows this is just the beginning of revisiting building security in general; saying yes to arming staff members is just a start.According to the resolution: ìThe Board of Education of the District has determined that it is in the best interest of the District and necessary for the safety and well-being of its students and employees, to establish a comprehensive District Security Plan which defines actions to fortify district security procedures, building security procedures, policies and systems; enhance communications to local law enforcement; provides first aid and trauma training; and to train and arm employees within the District to intervene if deadly violence occurs or is threatened.îìBecause this will be a volunteer program, each staff member will have to apply to carry a firearm,î Kistler said. ìIf someone does not feel comfortable carrying a gun, they can be part of the medical team so one area can support the other.îKistler said implementation of the resolution is going to take time. The district is committed to looking at every part of the process to determine what can and cannot be done and what should be done, so everything is accomplished in the proper order.ìWe are not going to give staff guns until we have a plan in place,î he said.
