President Donald Trump’s school safety commission recommends that schools train and arm personnel to help prevent mass shootings, White House officials previewed on Tuesday.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos briefed reporters on the contents of the report prior to the release.
The report urges school districts and states to partner with local law enforcement in the training and arming of local school personnel.
White House administration officials stressed to reporters that the report recommended that only “highly-trained school personnel” should have access to weapons.
They recommended that schools could benefit from some mentors, custodial staff, administrators and in some cases teachers, have access to weapons.
Devos recommended that military veterans and retired law enforcement officers be hired at schools.
“This report concludes that students would benefit from more veterans and retired law enforcement officers leveraging their knowledge and experience to serve in a variety of school roles,” DeVos.
The full report will be released later this week.
The report also recommends that states use “extreme risk” protection orders to restrict people from access to firearms.
“Our report endorses states adoption of extreme risk protection orders, which temporarily restrict access to firearms to individuals found to be a danger to themselves or others,” Devos said.
White House senior administration officials specified that they endorsed the idea, but only if the orders were “cognizant of due process protections and respectful of Second Amendment liberties.”
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