Less than one month after a school shooting in Florida, anti-gun New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has removed police officers from public schools in the Big Apple, leaving the safety of children to unarmed “school safety agents.”
The New York Post quoted teacher Arthur Goldstein, who stated, “My colleagues think it’s outrageous — and really stupid.”
Goldstein also revealed that his colleagues would rather trust their safety to armed police rather than take on that responsibility personally.
“We’re not enthusiastic about arming teachers, but we liked having a cop around,” the teacher said.
While de Blasio was dissing school security, the president of the American Federation of Teachers union was fuming over the White House proposals to beef up school security, which includes an effort to train and arm teacher volunteers.
“The White House proposal to harden schools and to arm teachers is straight out of the NRA playbook,” asserted AFT President Randi Weingarten. “It is antithetical to the needs of children and ignores the purposes of public education. The administration made a choice to listen to the NRA and gun manufacturers, rather than parents, students, teachers, law enforcement and communities. And while the plan takes baby steps to strengthen the background check system, it will mean more guns in schools and, as a result, more potential for violence and tragedy. What a missed opportunity.”
Weingarten might want to discuss that with Linda Lovett, co-president of the Parents-Teacher Association, who was quoted by the Epoch Times.
“It’s ridiculous. All over the country they are telling you ‘arm the teachers, get an officer in your school.’ New York City had a designated officer and they are actually cutting the program . . . they are making us less secure,” Lovett said.. “You are talking about 5,000 people in a one-block radius, and you’re telling me you can’t designate one officer?”
If there is subsequently a fatal attack at a New York City school, de Blasio may have to take the blame. Or, he might take the typical fallback position of liberals and blame the Second Amendment and the NRA, and by default, all pro-rights groups and individual gun owners.
