Rockwood Resident Asks District to Honor Second Amendment Rights at Schools

Eureka resident and Rockwood School District parent Dottie Bailey addressed Rockwood's Board of Education directors on Jan. 17 during the patrons' comments section of the meeting regarding security measures she perceives are not sound enough for the district's schools.

"You are being hypocritical — you have an armed guard at these Board of Education meetings, but you're doing nothing like that for our kids. If you're not going to do the same for our kids, I ask you to take your armed guard away at this meeting," said Bailey.

She also said she knew district officials were reviewing processes for security, but she said she believed merely talking about them was not good enough. "What’s the procedure when a shooting starts? What exactly is supposed to be carried out when that happens?"

"It's been 37 days since the Newtown school shooting," she said. "I cried my eyes out about those parents losing their children forever; I've lost a child myself. Your entire body and souls are open wounds."

Bailey asked why school districts were leaving behind the Second Amendment rights of people, leaving students and teachers to be sitting ducks.

Editor's Note:  The Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on Dec. 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.

"One bullet would’ve taken this man down in Newtown," she said.

Bailey said waiting for 10 minutes for police to arrive at a school when there is a shooting is too late. "We're giving them nothing to fight back with. This is a BS policy. Since when in America are we not going to fight back and defend ourselves?"

She said schools with a gun-free policy are an invitation for dangerous trouble. "There's so much more we can do."

She suggested parent volunteers getting the proper type of training and walking the halls, or allowing military veterans to patrol schools.

"The community has resources. These are our kids; please let us help," said Bailey.

Now that you've had more time to consider school environments and current risks, how do you feel about guns—or other weapons—being available for defensive emergencies in schools?