COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Academy School District 20 school board hosted a public work session and provided space for public comment Thursday on a program that could train teachers and staff to carry firearms on school grounds.
Board members say since the idea was first floated last week, they have received hundreds of emails on the subject.
The FASTER program, which stands for “Faculty-Administrator Safety Training and Emergency Response” has already been adopted by a handful of other districts around the area.
The issue proved controversial Thursday night.
The work session merely went over how the new policy would impact the current security protocol. One of the major concerns was how the new protocol would increase the cost of insurance in the district.
“What layers do we want to add to what we already have to make us the very best … but what’s the point? The point is so that there’s no life lost,” D20 Board Member Amy Shandy said during the work session.
The planning meeting did not allow for public comment from a room full of parents and concerned citizens. Many of those concerned parents stayed at the Academy District 20 Administration and Education Building to comment later that night at the regular board meeting.