By Robert Jordan, Founder, SITE|SAFETYNET℠
SITE|SAFETYNET℠ Responds: Real School Safety Solutions vs. Armed Student Proposals. On April 17, tragedy struck Florida State University (FSU) when a student, the stepson of a local sheriff’s deputy, opened fire on campus, killing two men and wounding six others. As the nation mourns the loss of Robert Morales, a beloved FSU dining coordinator, and Tiru Chabba, a father visiting from South Carolina, students have been pleading for meaningful gun reforms to prevent future acts of violence.
However, rather than calls for common-sense safety measures, some Florida leaders are proposing an alarming shift: arming teachers and even students.
In an op-ed published by The Spectator, Florida Board of Education member Daniel Foganholi claimed that gun-free zones have turned our campuses into “defenseless, easy targets.” He suggested the FSU shooting could have ended differently if “responsible” students or professors had been carrying firearms. Foganholi, a DeSantis appointee and member of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, is no stranger to controversy, having previously lost a local school board election before being appointed to statewide educational oversight.
Foganholi’s argument draws heavily from the heartbreaking 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy, pointing to the death of heroic athletic director Chris Hixon, who confronted the shooter unarmed. Foganholi imagines that if Hixon or a teacher had been armed, lives might have been saved.
But the facts—and research—paint a different picture.
According to a July 2024 report from Everytown for Gun Safety, arming teachers is not a viable solution. Studies show that in moments of chaos, even highly trained civilians cannot be expected to perform as effectively as law enforcement officers. Armed teachers are statistically more likely to injure bystanders or be mistakenly shot by responding police than to neutralize an active shooter.
Polling consistently shows that the majority of Americans, including educators and law enforcement professionals, oppose arming teachers. Safe schools require a layered approach that includes stronger physical security, mental health support, threat assessment protocols, emergency preparedness, and authentic partnerships between schools and trained law enforcement, not putting guns in the hands of students.
At SITE|SAFETYNET℠, we believe that school safety is a fundamental right. Our 94-point Safety Zone Segmentation, Dynamic Safety Score (DSS), and SafetyNet|REPORT system were specifically designed to provide schools with the tools they need to create safe and welcoming environments without resorting to extreme, high-risk measures.
Parents, educators, and community leaders deserve transparent data, proven strategies, and real solutions—not reckless ideas that put more young lives at risk.
It’s time to focus on what truly keeps students safe—and it’s likely not more guns in classrooms.
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Threat Assessment vs. Threat Response: Bridging the Gap for Safer Schools
