A group of parents have sued a Pennsylvania school district to block a policy that authorizes teachers to carry firearms in school.
The Lehighton Times News reports that the parents contend in their complaint that Tamaqua Area School Board exceeded its authority by approving the policy.
Tamaqua’s teacher union also has filed a lawsuit in opposition to the policy. In that case, district solicitor Jeffrey Bowe filed a preliminary response and argued that there is no specific law or regulation either authorizing or preventing the district from adopting the policy.
“Parents are worried about the safety of their children,” says Shira Goodman CeaseFirePA, who is a liaison between parents and the lawyers representing them.
Tamaqua is the first school district in Pennsylvania to adopt a policy that would allow teachers to carry firearms in school.
At a Nov. 7 school board meeting, parents and community members in the district proposed alternatives to the policy, including better screening of visitors, infrastructure changes, shooter detection systems, and investments in mental health support and threat assessments.
Tamaqua is about 85 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
