A private Christian school in Iowa has announced that some faculty and staff will be armed on campus to protect the school from potential attacks.
The Superintendent of Siouxland Christian Schools said, “Selected and trained personnel will remain anonymous, and with God's help, we will never have to deploy this layer of protection.'' I don't expect anything to change.” Lindsey Roelich of Sioux City said in a letter to the school community provided to Fox News Digital last week.
Laurich told Fox News Digital that he would not provide details about the number of armed staff members at the school or their identities “to protect these courageous and responsible staff members.” She added that the school had been considering the policy for a year before last week's official announcement.
“I would like to add that we have been working on this plan for over a year, but we felt this was a necessary step for our school community,” Laurich said.
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Siouxland Christian School in Sioux City, Iowa. (Google Maps)
The announcement comes after a mass shooting at Perry High School in Iowa left a sixth-grader dead and four other students and a staff member injured.
“It is an unfortunate reality that schools are targets for those who seek to do evil. Across our country, and sadly close to home, we see threats emerging on a regular basis. We pray for the community of Perry, Iowa, who experienced a tragic experience with an active shooter incident,'' Laurich said in a letter to the school community last week.
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Laurich told Fox Digital that after the shooting, she read a Wall Street Journal article about the tragedy and learned about the K-12 School Shooting Database.
“As of this email, there have already been four incidents with seven victims, which adds up to more days than there have been back to school since the start of the new year,” Laurich said. told FOX News Digital in an email Monday.
A woman shooting a handgun. (Photo credit: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto, Getty Images)
Laurich's letter to school officials said that “school safety is our top priority” and that training and arming specific staff to directly respond to immediate threats is essential in the event of a tragedy. He explained in detail that students can be better protected if they do so.
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“Some specially trained SCS employees will be armed on campus.The Board of Education and the Administration, with input from law enforcement, insurance companies, legal advisors, and industry experts, “We have developed a process for staff selection and training. This is already in place. It has been a serious and diligent process over the past year,” the letter states.
“In the event of an active shooter incident, these armed SCS staff are trained to go directly to the threat. Their response allows teachers and students to move to a safe position and law enforcement arrives. “We will proactively respond to this,” she said. Added.
An image of an empty classroom seen from the hallway. (St. Petersburg)
Laurich added that the local sheriff, Woodbury County Sheriff Chad Sheehan, has been a great resource during policy development.
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To combat potential threats, schools across the country have increasingly begun arming certain staff members in recent years. An August 2022 FOX News poll showed 48% of the public supported arming teachers, but experts previously told FOX News Digital that armed guards, armed teachers, , said it would help to “harden” schools with additional safety measures such as CCTV and heavy doors. Students and faculty can be better protected from potential tragedies.
In a letter to school officials, Laurich said that while it was a difficult decision, arming certain staff was “necessary.”
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“On a personal note, I want you to know that this was a difficult decision. When I started teaching, I could never have imagined someone shooting students or teachers in a school. , things have changed. If something tragic happens.'' For something like this to happen at SCS, we need to be able to stand in front of you and say we did everything we could. This is a necessary step we must take,” she wrote.
