14 Dec 2011

Guam Education Department says students bring weapons to school

2:48 pm on 14 December 2011

The Department of Education in Guam says allowing law enforcement officers in high schools to be armed is a preventive measure.

A number of politicians and educators have been startled by the plan, which could come into effect next year, and say it is unnecessary.

But the Department of Education's Christopher Anderson, says it has created new school resource officer positions to make students feel more safe.

He says as a former middle school principal he knows students are bringing weapons to campus.

"There were two students that had brought firearms to campus, these weapons weren't loaded but they brought weapons to school and we know right now that students are bringing weapons to school, what exactly they're bringing we may not know, whether it's knives, whether it's an actual firearm. But again the idea is that we have the resources to be able to affectively address a threat if something was to happen."

Christopher Anderson says among other things the new officers will be implementing anti-bullying campaigns, and acting as mentors at high schools.