Inside the high school where teachers are trained to take down school shooters (and STUDENTS are the targets)

Clarksville High School, Arkansas, is training 20 volunteers to carry concealed 9mm weapons from August

Teachers, administrators and other staff are being trained to deal with the worst case scenarios

First school to take advantage of a law allowing l icensed armed security guards on campus

Move has divided opinion among state officials, staff and parents



Teachers in a U.S. school are being armed with handguns and trained how to take out gun-wielding attackers.

Staff at Clarksville High School, in Arkansas, have been undergoing role-play training using pellet guns and with students wearing protective facemasks and jackets.

The controversial move comes after parents and teachers raised concerns about children's safety in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, in which 20 children and six teachers were shot dead.

The school has decided to take advantage of a state law which allows licensed armed security guards on campus.

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Role play: Staff at Clarksville High School are undergoing role play training using pellet handguns to learn how to deal to with the worst case scenarios

Students wearing face masks and protective clothing are used in the training exercises, where staff operate pellet guns in role play situations

The district has recruited 20 volunteers made up of teachers, administrators and other staff and from August, after 53 hours of training, they will start carrying concealed 9mm handguns with them on the school premises.

The move has divided opinion within the small town, which has a population of just 9,200 and lies 100 miles north west of Little Rock.

The town has never experienced anything like the tragedy in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, and the area is not known for having violence in schools, according to Fox News .

But Cheyne Dougan, assistant principle at the school, believes arming staff will give them time to hold off any gunmen until police arrive.

He told the news agency: 'This gives them an avenue to protect them until regular law enforcement can get here.'

Armed staff at the school are being trained by private security firm,Nighthawk Custom Training Academy, and training will be ongoing, they say.

Jon Hodoway, representing the academy, said they are creating role-play scenarios to prepare staff for the worst possible scenarios.



A Clarksville staff member, wearing a protective mask, participates in active-shooter training at the city's high school in Clarksville, Arkansas

However, David Hopkins, Clarksville School district superintendent, pointed out to Fox News that this was not a solution to the problem.

Arkansas state officials are not blocking the school's decision to exercise its rights to exploit the law, however, the move has not been supported by all.

Arkansas's Education Commissioner, Tom Kimbrell, believes law enforcement officers should be hired to protect the children, instead of training up teachers and other staff to use armed weapons.

Equally, Donna Morey, former president of the Arkansas Education Association told Fox News she thought arming staff at the school was an 'awful' idea and said school workers should simply focus on educating children.

She pointed out the increased risk of children being accidentally shot by staff, or even getting their hands on weapons kept at the school.

Supporter: Asst Principle Cheyne Dougan, is one of 20 Clarksville School District staff members training to be armed security guards on campus

During the handgun training, staff use air-powered pellet guns, pictured. From August, 20 school staff will carry concealed 9mm handguns

Colleen Daley, of Illinois Council Against Handgun violence, pointed out that even the most highly trained armed police continue to make mistakes and shoot innocent people. She questioned what will happen when civilians are given that responsibility in schools.

One parent has even taken her son out of the school directly because of the new armed staff policy.

Sherry Womack told the news service she does not believe teachers should make life-or-death decisions involving students.

