Group steadfast against arming school staffers

There is a group of stakeholders in the Cherokee community that has joined together to work through what they consider a major issue facing the local school district — its new weapons policy.

One of its founding members of that group is Megan Julius, who was employed as a nurse at Cherokee Middle School beginning in January 2020. Julius, who was raised near Newell, married a Cherokee native in 2013 and moved here in 2019. 

Julius worked as a nurse for several years and moved to the position with the school district because she said she loved the setting and working with kids.

Julius said she was shocked and disappointed as the Cherokee district moved forward last fall with plans to update its weapons policy to  allow some staff to carry firearms. It was around this time that she and a fellow staff member founded a private Facebook group that served as a forum where they and others could discuss concerns related to the policy change. The group now has around 80 members, according to Julius.

At an Oct. 17 meeting, the board voted 4-0 to amend its policy, which now reads that “Weapons under the control of law enforcement officials and staff approved by an administrative team are exempt.”

A subsequent article by the Cherokee Chronicle Times noted that although the board said it received 32 messages in favor of arming teachers with 11 against and conversations held by board members with members of the community indicated support, the crowd of nearly 40 meeting attendees held a slight majority of people in opposition.

The article also noted that the board had decided against polling parents about the issue and that district Supt. Kim Lingenfelter had not formally surveyed staff.

Julius was affected by the policy in two ways — as a staff member and as a parent withyoung children.

“It felt like a rushed decision,” Julius said. “It didn't give me any sort of comfort knowing the lack of thought and transparency that went into this huge decision.”

Reaching out to school board President Jodi Thomas, Julius attempted to express her concerns and was told “it’s just words in the policy that have changed, that’s it.” 

Julius also said that another parent in the coalition reached out to a board member and was told, “I know it seems backwards, but our counsel said we had to do it this way. We had to change the policy first, and then we could do the rest.”

The statements led Julius and other members of the group to believe there were still many decisions to be made. Julius said that’s why the decision to proceed with training in February “was such a shock.”

“It was assumed that this planning and research was being done and would be presented to the public before implementing any aspects of this program,” she said.

The stakeholder coalition continued to keep an eye on school board activity and vocalize its concerns. Together they have combed through research studies and professional opinions about policies like the one now on the books in Cherokee.

“The FBI, Secret Service, FEMA, risk management companies, insurance companies, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Education, etc., have resources on improving school safety, many specific to the threat of an active shooter,” Julius said. “They provide an array of ideas to increase school safety, from threat assessment teams to safety film on windows, to a solid visitor management system. Not one professional recommendation from a reliable source was found that stated arming teachers would prevent school violence.”

The coalition presented a series of questions and rebuttals as visitors at the school board’s meeting earlier this month. They acknowledged the board was unable to address everything at the time because its legal representation was not present. Afterward, they distributed copies of their statements to people in attendance and announced their intention to appear on the April meeting agenda.

Julius resigned from her position with the district in December and cited the weapons policy as a major contributing factor.

“I saw first-hand what it was like to disagree with those in charge,” she said. “I needed to be able to advocate freely for my children without facing intimidation and reprimand.”

Asked about the ultimate goal of the group regarding the weapons policy, Julius said it wants the board to reconsider their decision.

“This policy came about in a way that didn’t seek community input or answer the important questions before moving forward with it,” she said. “We would like to see the board suspend the policy immediately and start the hard work of getting answers to the difficult questions, working with the community, and seeking a variety of input and expert advice.”

Julius believes that once all of the proper steps and research has been undertaken and all aspects of the policy openly discussed, only then should the board make an official decision.

Julius and other members of the coalition will continue to speak out and work to persuade the school board and community. She feels that if the board refuses to change the policy that its implementation will be incredibly expensive and end up costing more than money.

 “Providing continual training, overseeing the physical and mental health and managing the details of those who are carrying weapons in CCSD’s three school buildings will be an enormous undertaking,” Julius said. “Additional costs include damage to a student’s mental well-being, diminished feelings of safety,  misplacing weapons or worst-case scenario, an accidental injury or death.”