Mark Fields has two children in Buncombe County Schools. Like most parents, he was shocked by the Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Conn. By midday Dec. 15, he posted a petition aimed at local political officials and a simple plea: Make sure there are armed police officers and marked police cars at every school.

Since posting the petition, Fields has started a website, safeinourschools.com and heard from Buncombe County Commissioner David Gantt. As of today, Dec. 18, at noon, the petition had 225 signatures.

“We are committed to making sure that every child is safe in their school or any government building,” said Gantt. “This is not something we have ignored, and every school currently has a plan. We will continue to listen to the input from our chief law enforcement officers, the school superintendents and the public on this, as we always have.”

“We have to deal with the reality of the times,” says Fields. “The possibility is there, that this could happen here. Would having a police officer at every school help? It can’t hurt. If the safety and security of our children is really our first priority, this seems the least we can do to prove that.”

So far, Fields’ petition drive is a one-man operation. He is looking for interested parties to spread the word toward collecting 10,000 signatures.

The text of the petition, which can be found online: