Columbine parent weighs in on Tennessee’s arming teachers bill
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Following the 25th anniversary of the Columbine High School mass shooting, a Colorado father voiced his concerns over legislation in Tennessee looking to arm teachers.
Ted Zocco-Hochhalter remembers a quarter-century ago when his daughter was shot outside the cafeteria of her high school, and his son was forced to take shelter in a science classroom. Thankfully, both students did survive.
“It’s been a frustrating journey since that day because, as so many people out there continually say, not a whole lot has been done,” Zocco-Hochhalter said.
He admitted perhaps more change has come about than people realize; however, school mass shootings continue across the country, including the deadly Covenant School shooting just over a year ago.
“My daughter lost 50% of her hearing on her left side because she was so close to the door of a large weapon, and there was no choice that she had in that moment except confusion, chaos, and she thought she was going to die,” Covenant mother Mary Joyce said.
Now, a measure that would allow faculty or staff members of public schools to carry a concealed handgun on school grounds under certain conditions has passed the Senate and is up for consideration before the House.
“This is a very comprehensive bill. It’s not just allowing teachers to walk in tomorrow and basically be carrying in the classroom. You have to go through a lot of steps to even be considered to be that person to carry in the classroom,” said state Sen. Paul Bailey (R-Sparta).
Yet, it’s a measure that concerns Zocco-Hochhalter when he thinks back to the chaos of Columbine.
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“They did, in fact, set off pipe bombs. They tried to activate propane bombs that they had manufactured,” he said. “So, you have a chaotic situation like that, and you have an armed teacher; I just really have to question how their response might actually go down.”
Twenty-five years after Columbine, Zocco-Hochhalter looks at other approaches to school safety, like emergency preparedness plans that consult teachers, parents, students, and organizations dedicated to studying such responses.
On a local level, Joyce also disagrees with arming teachers, saying she doesn’t want the response to gun violence to involve adding more guns.
“In our daughter’s third grade classroom, if our teacher had left that entire classroom of third graders, it would have left them exposed, alone, and vulnerable to also being killed,” Joyce said. “That is unacceptable that we think, ‘This is okay, we can prepare our children for mass shooting and war zones when we send them to school to get an education.’”
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Advocates for the measure have pointed out that the bill would require teachers to complete 40 hours of training each year, in addition to several other stipulations. Those in favor of the legislation also believe arming teachers could be particularly helpful in rural school districts and districts struggling to fill school resource officer (SRO) positions.
After a grim milestone for Columbine survivors, Zocco-Hochhalter said he’s not shocked to see gun violence in schools continue. However, he hopes schools will utilize all tools in their tool boxes and work to turn history around. He recommended several emergency planning resources, including Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS), and the I Love You Guys “Standard Response Protocol” guide.
“I would say it’s more frustrating than surprising that they’re going on…I would think that by now, more attention would have been devoted to how to realistically address those types of incidents,” Zocco-Hochhalter said.
Read the latest from the TN State Capitol Newsroom
On Monday, April 22, a group of students plan to protest the legislation on the Tennessee State Capitol steps beginning at 11 a.m.
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