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I dunno about this one...
I believe everyone has a right to carry a firearm- but schools also have a right to make rules about what their employees do. They have a right to carry guns, but schools have a right to say don't come here if you do.
With that out of the way, what should schools do? I'd hesitate on the teachers with guns thing, because most of my teachers were pretty unhappy, unstable, and generally as much of a threat with a gun as a disgruntled student would be. I think ultimately, perhaps hired security roaming the halls might be better. Tough thing, again, is getting a security guard who isn't just a pissed off loner who couldn't make it as a cop. Retired police-officers would be pretty good, as they are on pention, this would be extra income, and they'd be happy to start with. Point is, whoever has the gun shouldn't be waiting deep down inside for the opportunity to use it.
I also must agree with treating the source in ADDITION to the symptoms, as Jim mentioned. I can't tell you how many times I watched nerds get screwed with while teachers looked on. I had a conversation with one poor guy who was a nerd, an Indian (the kind from India, which in my town made him stand out REALLY bad), weak as hell (turns out from cancer), and was considering suicide. Seriously. These pricks at school messed with him SO bad. I made an effort to help the guy out, and got some friends of mine involved in keeping an eye on the guy. I could TOTALLY see a guy like that snapping. I am glad he was smart enough to talk to some of us about it.
So, I guess my answer might be highly screened security guards, coupled with teachers who, when they see a kid getting shoved into a locker and tripped and whatnot, are REQUIRED to intervene on pain of job-loss. It sounds harsh, but the reality that kids who get picked on live is harsh.
Also, though, sometimes the kids who get beat up ask for it. They 'poke the bear', so to speak, and then cry when the bear bites. There was a kid two grades under us in high school- he was the younger brother of a guy we hung out with. This kid used to make a point of being an obnoxious prick and messing with bullies. Finally one day, he got punched in the face and his nose was broken. IMO, I knew that he had brought it on in a way. But his parents sued the school for a couple $100k, and won. So, this is a tough issue to tackle. But step ONE would be teachers who at least get involved, and parents getting involved in encouraging their kids not to mess with nerds or weirdos.
Long answer to a question without a short answer.
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