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Courier blogs May 20
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Blogger: Allan McQuown
Subject: Schools becoming the new  
battleground for violence

On May 4, I dropped my daughter off at Liberty High and I was pleased to see several armed law officers in the parking lot and walking the campus. I was glad to see them and, of course, this is a response to recent incidents including one student bringing a weapon to school and several threats of violence. However, I had to wonder about the security of my daughter at the Pre-K school that day and what about other days at Liberty High. Will there be as many officers there or will just one deputy be at the school?
It is unfortunate, but schools have become the new battleground for violence among deranged and evil people. Our children and teachers are helpless against anyone deciding to come into a school and kill children and teachers.
I pine for the old days when schools were safe and putting gum under the desk was a concern. But we must wake up to this new reality. There are many factors to blame: dysfunctional families wrecked with family strife, children brought up with little discipline, chronic exposure to violence on TV, movies, and video games, and the lack of religious training and mentoring in the home. These are some of the problems and, hopefully, we as a nation will wake up and begin to repair the parenting process, but in the meantime we currently have a problem with security at our schools.
It is time to increase security at schools. Metal detectors and more armed guards are needed. This will require many additional funds, but is it not worth it? Some building projects may need to be delayed or other cuts made. If the school board and the police and sheriff’s department cannot protect the children then maybe it is time for citizens to help out. They are called “public schools.”
Local citizens could undergo special training and certification and be deputized to serve part-time to protect our schools. This may sound drastic, but I hear no one else talking about specific measures. I encourage specific debate on this topic and pressure on the school board to act. It saddens me to write this, but it is a helpless feeling to have to take your children to a schoolhouse knowing that they are not protected and have now become prime targets to so many evil people.
Pray for our schools. Pray for a Christian revival in our country so we can repair our families and raise Godly children who do not have this violence and hurt in them.

Blogger: Tom Hickey
Subject: Response to the blog by Allan McQuown.

Great comments, Allan, and I think you are right in saying that there is a need for discussion in this matter.
I wish the school board would go on record outside of board meetings with measures on how they intend to address the issue or improve the learning environment for young people in Liberty County.
I am not certain that putting more officers within the schools would improve the situation. If someone wants bad enough to create havoc or tragedy, they will find a way to do it; whether it is with one officer present or 10. I would be alright with metal detectors and severe accountability for those who choose to violate the rules. I think by now only the completely inept would not understand that taking a gun or knife into a school is not permitted.
I agree the problem is much more far reaching and is more socially linked. We have adults that are uniquely challenged in parenting skills. They have turned into apologists that give their children everything and choose to use television, computers and video games as pacifiers/babysitters rather than having their children engaged in real activities.
What to say of religion? As a nation, we have kicked dirt in the faces of the founding fathers through a trumped up, out-of-bounds notion of separation of church and state. As a result, the moral base is crumbling. So the final result is a generation of potentially out-of-control youth.
 I will say that based on research, males within their teenage years are more likely to commit violent offenses (perhaps testosterone is a factor), but never that I can recall has there been such a surge in extreme violence at the hands of such cold, empty shells of what used to be people.
Thankfully, as Christians we can place the safety of our children under the trust of a loving God. I pray, that as a nation, we can come together to seriously address this issue.
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