Washington state school Superintendent Chris Reykdal says he won’t allow the state’s schools to arm their teachers.
Reykdal released a statement Thursday in response to media reports. Outlets have reported that U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is considering whether to allow districts to use federal money to buy firearms for teachers.
Reykdal calls it an ideological decision.
“We find absolutely no research or evidence that would make schools safer and, in fact, we think it would make them a lot less safe, just given the propensity for homicide and suicide, which is a function of gun density," Reykdal said.
"Every area, region, country, state, community with higher gun densities have higher homicide and suicide rates. So, with no real evidence on why we should do it, we’re making a really clear statement that we’re not going to do it," he said.
Reykdal says he supports districts that hire armed resource officers and other trained professionals to patrol schools. He says he expects the legislature next year to address the question of whether school districts may legally designate teachers as resource officers and let them carry guns.