Editorial: No guns in schools

The insurance industry did the Cherokee and Spirit Lake school districts a favor by denying them coverage if they insisted on arming staff. Each of the respective school boards that earlier passed policies that would put guns in staff hands rescinded those policies late last week when they finally acknowledged they would not have insurance protection come July 1.

The superintendents and school board members knew about this hole in their sketchy plans for months but, in Cherokee’s case for certain, tried to shield that information from the public until we reported it from email correspondence.

Groups of citizens in each community organized to oppose the policies and made it obvious that bringing guns into schools was not unanimously endorsed in Cherokee or Spirit Lake. Nor is it in the rest of Northwest Iowa, where school officials, patrons and law enforcement are not convinced that yet more guns will make anyone safer. The Cherokee County sheriff worried that it might put those armed staffers in increased danger.

The school officials were not necessarily following the advice of the sheriff or even consulting him on their plans. Instead, they consulted with gun advocacy groups with a political agenda.

EMC Insurance informed each district that their coverage would not be renewed with guns in school. The schools tried to run a bill that would force insurers to cover districts with armed staff, but the insurance industry proved that it remains a more potent force than even the gun lobby. That should come as some comfort to parents and teachers.

Sen. Lynn Evans, R-Aurelia, himself a former school superintendent in Cherokee County, said he would support insurance reforms to allow guns in schools if a bill were reintroduced. It was the right thing to say, we suppose, considering that he always needs to look over his right shoulder, but we hope he doesn’t put too much effort into it when the legislature reconvenes in January. It would be bad form for Republicans to tell a business that it must offer a product to a customer — wedding cakes for gay marriages or insurance policies for armored schools. We shall see if conservatives are conservative anymore.

Fortunately for Cherokee, a new chapter opens with the appointment of Alta native Tom Ryherd as interim superintendent. Ryherd, currently the high school principal, replaces Supt. Kim Lingenfelter, who sadly had to retire to care for an adult son with cancer. Ryherd is well-liked and respected as an experienced administrator with an easy-going style. He should be able to help mend fences with skeptical patrons and get back to the business of teaching. The board should let him reach out and reconcile.

One of the first orders of business will be coming up with a school safety plan not involving armed staff. Surely Ryherd will seek assistance from the local police, sheriff and county attorney, while bringing in dissenting voices in the district who can work with school board members on a sound plan.

Other area school districts that toyed with the idea of guns should holster it. Storm Lake never did mess with it. It caused Supt. Stacey Cole to caution that Storm Lake might not be able to attend events in Cherokee or Spirit Lake in the presence of armed teachers or coaches, and certainly not if insurance coverage was voided.

Everybody in Northwest Iowa will be better off if guns are not in the classroom or on the football field. Schools need to work on mental health counseling, bullying and dropouts. Most school districts are trying with meager resources. Troubled students are the ones most likely to attack schools. We need to work a lot more with identifying those youth and working with their families to prevent trauma.

Schools have become an essential family support structure, like it or not. They should not be bunkers. All students need nurturing and some need counseling. They do not need the constant reminder that their lives are in imminent danger when they are not, empirically. Allowing schools to provide a safe learning environment by providing comprehensive emotional support for children costs a lot of money. Public schools are getting 2.5% growth while politicians say we need more mental health and not gun regulations. We need less guns and more money to help students who feel driven to kill somebody. It is difficult for Cherokee or Storm Lake to come up with safety plans that will work if we are not able to keep track of what the children are thinking. That is something that Sen. Evans understands well and should dig into. We will continue to pray that Iowa comes to its senses with the explosion of guns and their elevation to sacred status. This whole episode is a good start.