What do teachers have to say about school safety? Here's the latest
Bottom Line: We've heard a lot from superintendents, unions and parents but what about the teachers themselves? Gallup just wrapped up nationwide work on the topic (the first accredited surveying of teachers to date since the Parkland shooting). There are plenty of takeaways.
Here's the first one... 84% of teachers say they're satisfied with their job. So, before we get into any security specific questions that's highly relevant as clearly most are generally happy with doing what they do for a living. What's somewhat interesting is that 75% of teachers said they would get into teaching again if they could start over. Independent of this topic that's a great question. It's interesting that 9% of teachers that are satisfied would opt for another path if they had a take two...anyway, let's get down to business.
40% of teachers say they don't believe their school is adequately secured
Only 9% say their school is very protected
36% of teachers are worried about the potential for an attack at their school
And on the topic of faculty being able to conceal-carry...
73% oppose
20% favor
18% either already carry or would like to be able to do so
So, let's put this together for a moment. Clearly most educators are opposed to school staff carrying on campus however the view is far from unanimous. According to the Department of Education there are more than 3.2 million teachers alone (not counting any other school staff). That equals 576,000 teachers who either already carry or wish they could. It's relevant context that's generally completely omitted from the conversation - especially in SFL. As I've mentioned, there are multiple teachers who've reached out to me expressing a desire to be able to carry. Unfortunately, the environment with leadership is so hostile and close-minded to the notion in SFL that most want to remain anonymous.