Radnor board votes against allowing guns in schools
RADNOR » At a somewhat contentious meeting Tuesday, Radnor Township School Board members sparred over a resolution regarding a statewide bill that would allow trained educators to carry guns at schools to protect students.
Some parents had pressed the board to oppose that legislation.
One of them, Amy Schwarz, thanked the board during public comment at the beginning of the meeting for opposing bills in the state Legislature that would allow school districts to arm educators, as “frankly one that is horrifying to us Radnor school parents.” She noted that both Radnor Police Superintendent William Colarulo and Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun Copeland “both wholeheartedly decried” the proposed law.
“We are not opposed to having more law enforcement officials in school, if that is what the experts deem is necessary,” she said, “but not to have school personnel playing that role.”
But Charlie Bohnenberger, another parent, who is vice president for government services for one of the largest security providers to governments in the U.S., said there is “no perfect program. No one size fits all. In the end, each community must decide for itself.” In Pennsylvania, many rural districts are served by the state police who can take a halfhour or more to respond when called. Active shooting incidents can happen in about three minutes, he said.
During the board’s debate, the Democrats endorsed the resolution as written, calling for opposition to any legislation that would allow for the arming of school personnel other than “trained law enforcement officers” in the district schools and also that “school personnel should not be asked or incentivized to have access to weapons on school property.”
But the Republican members opposed it, saying it was not up to the Radnor Township School Board to tell other districts across the state what to do.
“It’s not our business to tell other school districts how to secure their schools,” said board member Michael Miller. He noted that 82 percent of the state relies on the state police, not local police departments like Radnor, and added, “I’ve been in situations where it takes them 45 minutes to get there.”
Board President Lydia Solomon said, “I don’t believe school personnel anywhere should be armed.”
Miller told her, “That’s not up to you to make that decision.”
Board members Andrew Babson and Sarah Dunn suggested compromise language so that a resolution could be passed.
Dunn said many parents, whom they represent, have asked them to pass a resolution against arming school personnel to amplify their voices.
Booker said, “We don’t want mandates from the state.”
“This is absolutely the wrong way to make people feel they are going to be safer,” Solomon argued. “They are not going to be safer. We should come out strongly saying we do not agree with arming [educators].”
“Why not go stronger and stand up for all kids in Pennsylvania?” Solomon also asked. “This is the wrong way for public education to go.”
Goldman said the law, if passed, would shield districts from right to know requests so there would be no way to find out about who is carrying a weapon, so Radnor Township School District officials would not know about it before sending students to other schools for sports or other extracurricular activities.
Goldman posited that changing the word “opposes” in the resolution to “expresses its concerns” would be middle ground.
Booker said, “It’s not a middle ground.”
Solomon also said it would not address her strongly held opinion that school personnel shouldn’t be carrying weapons.
In the end of the lengthy discussion, the board approved the resolution, 8-0, with Vice President Susan Stern absent, which did not include the language the Republicans deemed problematic. An amendment by Dunn was added to say the district would “not knowingly send its students to any school district where school personnel other than trained and certified security personnel or law enforcement officers are permitted to be armed.”
The final resolution included that the board “calls upon state and federal legislators to enact comprehensive, multifaceted legislation that: is designed to address the problem of school shootings; allocates all necessary and recurring funds to schools to support the enhancement of safety and security measures deemed necessary by local school districts; and provides a state and federally funded comprehensive network of proactive supports to address individual student needs.”