Why seeing police train Texas teachers to fire guns should terrify Black parents

Mar 13, 2018

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Hide your kids!

Some 16 teachers in Irving, Texas, took a class and loaded up on an opportunity to learn how to fire a gun, following the deadly Parkland, Florida, school shooting.

According to CBS DFW, teachers and staff reportedly took a free class Saturday with police officers and SWAT who trained them on how to handle their firearms in an active shooter situation.

“It’s scary sometimes. We do our best to have security at our schools, but you never know what’s going to happen. And it’s better to be prepared than not prepared,’ said Kim Raney to CBS News.

‘If our district ever let the teachers carry, then I’d be prepared to do that,’ she said.

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Tim Bulot who owns Strategic Weapons Academy of Texas, gave the teachers their training.

“This is the first time I’ve done anything like this… normally it’s police officers, SWAT and overseas contractors who we train here,” said Bulot.

“I wanted to bring teachers and law enforcement together into our world because now we’re not the first ones there on these active shooters. They are,” said Bulot.

Black parents fear their children will be targets

After the Florida Senate recently passed Bill 7026 which allows teachers to arm themselves in schools and in classrooms, Black parents immediately began to worry.

There is widespread concern about the implications and detrimental impact The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act could have on students of color.

Especially Black boys.

Parents, Democratic lawmakers, and civil rights groups came out in strong opposition to the bill and claim their perspectives were largely ignored by lawmakers.

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“My voice was never heard,” said Miami Democratic Rep. Roy Hardemon to CNN. “No one heard our cry.”

Given that there is statistical proof that students of color are disproportionately subject to punishment more than their white counterparts for the same offenses these representatives and parents of color have every reason to be concerned about The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act.

With this bill, someone who meets the specified criteria to carry firearms in school will be granted the ability to be armed on their school’s campus. Still, it will not be mandated that teachers and administrators carry firearms, as individuals must volunteer.

Countless studies have shown that an increased presence of authority over Black children significantly correlate with “inexplainable” rises in numbers of detention, suspensions, and eventually arrests. The “inexplainable” factor, you can imagine, relates to systemic oppression and racism.

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The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights conducted a study in 2012 that determined that “Black children represent 18% of preschool enrollment, but 48% of preschool children receiving more than one out-of-school suspension; in comparison, white students represent 43% of preschool enrollment but 26% of preschool children receiving more than one out of school suspension.” And these disproportionate statistics continue throughout education, and continues to build until the children get their first official arrest and continue a strategic cycle into the criminal system.

“We’ve already been traumatized and looking over our shoulder after everything that happened with Trayvon Martin and what happened in Ferguson and everywhere else,” said Florida mother of three Sulaya Williams to CNN. “And now we’re going to be sitting here wondering are our kids going to be targets while going to school?”