Hiring professionally trained security guards would be a better choice instead of armed teachers because professionally trained security guards undergo specialized training and would be more knowledgeable in handling combat with an armed shooter than a teacher would. This also gives teachers assurance that both the students and teachers are being protected by qualified individuals and they would be able to focus on their responsibilities without having to worry about their safety.

I understand some individuals in certain communities, especially the Black community, have a complicated relationship with law enforcement or any position related to it, and may be more comfortable defending an armed shooter themselves. The concern still remains though that teachers should avoid having to defend themselves against armed shooters and risking their lives in doing so, as the repercussions can be severe. Therefore, what I propose is a selective hiring process where every applicant is carefully interviewed and undergoes a soft-skill training program where they learn how to communicate with students and teachers of different ages and communities. A positive rapport could also be established between the security guards, teachers, and students by having a bi-weekly or monthly event that could help reduce tensions students or teachers may have about the security guards. It is important to build a sense of community so that everyone feels they belong and nobody is doing anything out of ill intent.