Leaders discuss teachers with guns on school grounds

With school beginning to start soon, school officials with the Harrisburg School District said teachers should remain teachers and not teachers with guns to protect their students.

“All of our folks went to school to become educators. They really didn’t come to protect and serve, you know to protect kids with guns,” superintendent Steve Combs said.

According to Boone County counselor, C.J. Dykhouse, Sheriff Dwayne Carey is continuing his cost-share partnerships with the participating school districts located within the county to place deputies in the schools as school resource officers.

Combs said arming his staff with guns is the last thing he wants to see at his school.

“Sheriff Carey started that program a few years ago and the agreements are a continuation of that partnership between BCSD and the participating school districts,” Dwayne said.

Combs stated it makes him nervous to think his staff may be able to be armed and instead said he wants train professionals with law enforcement to keep them safe in the event disaster strikes.

“I’m sure we have teachers and administrators that are capable of doing this (carry guns) but it’s just not what their calling was,” Combs said.

Dwayne said, the actual agreements will be available on the County’s website, showmeboone.com in the upcoming days.