WICHITA, Kan. (AP) A decision to let security guards at Emporia’s high school and middle school carry guns comes as districts across Kansas re-evaluate their safety protocols in the wake of the Connecticut school massacre.
Attorney Donna Whiteman of the Kansas Association of School Boards says numerous districts are now reviewing their safety and security plans in the wake of the last month’s shooting rampage that left 27 people dead.
The Emporia school district’s board of education voted Wednesday to allow its security guards, who are school employees, to carry guns starting Feb. 1. The guards would have to meet strict new job qualifications such as law enforcement experience and training, among other requirements.
Many districts already have armed school resource officers and share costs with local law enforcement agencies.
