Tuesday, January 15, 2013
"School shootings really are not an epidemic yet. But over the last couple of months, the uptick in shootings is happening due to not enough focus on prevention," says one local school psychologist.
Brian Sheble, a nationally certified school psychologist from St Louis, tells Patch he was not surprised by what happened in downtown St. Louis at the Stevens Institute of Business & Arts Tuesday afternoon when a man shot a financial aid adviser and then himself, as reported in Fox2 News. "The need for prevention at all costs is warranted. If our only focus in schools is on reacting, we will never take care of, or get ahead of, the problem." Sheble said most school shooters don't snap and become one overnight. He said industry analysis indicates many adolescents develop challenges with coping skills and low tolerance for frustration. Having been a teacher and counselor previously, Sheble said he is studying recent issues from a more …
Thursday, December 20, 2012
In the aftermath of Friday's shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, Rockwood School District officials are rethinking current safety plans at the district's school buildings. But guns in the hands of teachers is not one so far.
Rockwood School District's assistant superintendent for administrative services, Dennis Griffith, said Rockwood was not one of the stated school districts interested in arming school personnel with guns during Thursday's meeting of St. Louis County Police and Safe Schools Partners. Based on 22,568 students enrolled, Rockwood ranks as Missouri's third largest school district, according to the latest Department of Elementary and Secondary Education data available. St. Louis County Police Department Chief Tim Fitch attracted national headlines earlier this week when he put forward the idea of arming school officials as a way of deterring future mass shootings. "There are other remedies we might discuss before that would become a serious topic…
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
In the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, the owner of a military and law enforcement supply store in Chesterfield says such laws and regulations won't solve the problem.
The tragic death of 20 children and six adults in Connecticut at the hands of a heavily armed gunman has ignited a national debate about gun control, specifically the access of private citizens to military-grade gear. A federal ban on assault rifles passed in 1994 under Bill Clinton expired in 2004 and now many gun control advocates are calling for it to be reinstated, but Chesterfield resident Chad Weinman and CEO of TacticalGear.com says that won't solve the problem. The online company has a brick-and-mortar facility located on Edison Road in Chesterfield and primarily sells clothing and equipment such as holsters, vests and dynamic entry tools commonly used by tactical law enforcement teams or military personnel, but not firearms or …
Monday, December 17, 2012
Teachers in Texas carry guns to protect students. Will pressure to do so swell in the Show-Me State? "Which teachers do have a firearm must be kept secret from students and fellow teachers, no exceptions."
One local gun advocate believes it indeed is possible for teachers to handle guns inside school buildings. But Wildwood resident Marc Perez said anyone who carries a firearm must assume a certain degree of responsibility. "In a 'crowd' like a school for a teacher, a significant, professional and extensive additional training would be required for a teacher to carry a firearm. Once an intruder enters a school with the intent to do harm, the police are minutes away while the threat may begin within seconds. The math does not add up," said Perez. He said there are instructors available with the proper credentials to give such training in the St. Louis metropolitan area. As a National Rifle Association (NRA) Certified Range Safety Officer, …
Matt Frey
11:36 am on Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Heartland Ninjutsu in Maplewood is offering teachers in the metro area a free month of lessons in our enlightened self-protection program where they can learn techniques and strategies for dealing with active shooters more ›