Protect Lane County Students: Establish Trained Armed Security at Every Public School
To: Lane County Public School Boards, District Superintendents, Lane County Commissioners, and Oregon State Legislators

Every parent deserves to send their child to school knowing that their safety is a priority. Every teacher deserves to walk into their classroom knowing that meaningful protections are in place.

Following the heartbreaking tragedy in Bend, Oregon, families across our state are once again confronting a terrifying question: What is being done to protect our children if someone enters a school intending to cause harm?

As a mother of three, this question is deeply personal to me.

Our children should be able to focus on learning, making friends, and enjoying their childhoods. Our teachers should be able to focus on educating them, not wondering whether they will someday have to defend their students from violence.

I believe we need to have a serious conversation about placing professionally trained, armed security personnel in our public schools.

This is not about expecting teachers to carry firearms. It is about having qualified professionals whose responsibilities include protecting students, responding to emergencies, and coordinating with law enforcement.

We are calling on every public school district in Lane County to develop a comprehensive school security plan that includes a proposal for dedicated, trained armed security at every public school campus.

Specifically, we ask district leaders and elected officials to:

Evaluate dedicated armed security at every public school. Develop proposals for school resource officers or appropriately licensed, professionally trained armed security personnel, with clear standards for hiring, training, supervision, and accountability.
Conduct comprehensive school safety assessments. Review building access, emergency response times, communication systems, existing security measures, and potential vulnerabilities at each campus.
Establish consistent training and response protocols. Ensure security personnel receive training in emergency response, de-escalation, working with children, and coordination with school administrators and local law enforcement.
Identify sustainable funding. Explore district budgets, state and federal grants, and partnerships with local law enforcement agencies so that school safety is not dependent solely on the financial resources of individual communities.
Strengthen prevention and early intervention. Continue investing in student mental health resources, threat assessment, reporting procedures, and other evidence-informed violence prevention measures.
Give families a voice. Hold public meetings where parents, teachers, students, and community members can review proposals, ask questions, and provide input before final decisions are made.
Provide a public implementation timeline. Within 90 days, we ask each district to present its current security arrangements, available options, estimated costs, and next steps for board consideration.
Armed security alone cannot guarantee that a tragedy will never happen. Prevention, intervention, preparation, and emergency response all deserve serious consideration.

We recognize that families may have different views about firearms and the best approach to school safety. This petition asks our elected leaders to examine a specific security proposal openly, transparently, and with student safety at the center of every decision.

Our children deserve safe schools. Our teachers deserve meaningful support. Our communities deserve a clear plan.

Please sign this petition to request that Lane County school districts formally consider trained armed security at every public school and publicly explain how they intend to protect students and staff.