Newswise — DURHAM, N.H. – Todd DeMitchell, an education law expert and professor of education at the University of New Hampshire, is available to discuss arming public school teachers in the wake of the Feb. 14 killing spree in a Florida high school.
DeMitchell studies the impact of court cases and other legal mechanisms on schools, school liability and adequate supervision. He has nearly two decades of experience in K-12 education as a teacher, principal and superintendent, and has conducted research on school security as a professor since 1994.
“A policy of bringing more guns on campus to arm faculty and staff is not the answer to violence in our schools,” DeMitchell said. “Building safe schools involves both hardening the site to the outside and strengthening bonds and relationships inside the school.”
DeMitchell can discuss the impact of introducing guns in schools, including taking teachers’ attention away from the classroom, liability, teachers being outgunned, and the risk of friendly fire to students and teachers in crowded classrooms and hallways.
“I am concerned that arming teachers provides a vain hope and a false promise of making our schools safe,” DeMitchell added. “The presence of guns and magnetometers in schools are known to make students feel less safe. Our schools are not movie sets.”
DeMitchell can be reached at (603) 862-5043 or [email protected].
The University of New Hampshire is a flagship research university that inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top ranked programs in business, engineering, law, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. UNH’s research portfolio includes partnerships with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, receiving more than $100 million in competitive external funding every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea and space.
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