Teachers who carry guns in North Carolina could get pay rise under new law

‘Arming teachers is something we are adamantly opposed to and a disaster waiting to happen,’ says North Carolina Association of Educators president

The bill which has been ferociously criticised by teachers groups would give teachers a salary rise of five per cent (Reuters)

Politicians in North Carolina are pushing for teachers in the US state to be given a pay rise if they carry guns at school and undergo basic police training.

The bill, which has been fiercely criticised by a teachers group, would give teachers a salary rise of five per cent.

The piece of legislation filed this week, which is called the School Security Act of 2019, says so-called “teacher resource officers” could carry guns in an open or concealed manner and they would have the same arrest powers as police officers.

The North Carolina Association of Educators has said teachers should not have to carry a weapon to get a raise and that the state should focus instead on adding more social workers, counsellors, and other support staff to schools.

“Arming teachers is something we are adamantly opposed to and a disaster waiting to happen,” Mark Jewell, the group’s president, told WNCN-TV.

Mr Jewell also noted there was a chance of someone managing to get their hands on an armed teacher’s weapon – saying this issue could arise with police officers already assigned to schools.

“I don’t see that this is any different,” he told the station.

A spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction said most public schools in North Carolina already had a certified police officer, known as a school resource officer.

School boards across the state would have to decide whether to take part in the programme. The state would pay just under $4.8m to train the teachers.

Republican State Senator Warren Daniel, one of the bill’s sponsors, and two other Republican lawmakers introduced the same bill last session but it failed in committee.

While a similar bill to arm teachers has been put forward in the state house this year, it does not incorporate a pay rise.

Donald Trump has previously said teachers should be armed with guns – even suggesting that those that do not have them might be inviting attacks on themselves.

Last February, the US president said he thought teachers who bring guns to school should get cash bonuses for their efforts to protect students.

Speaking before a meeting with Christine Hunschofsky, the mayor of Parkland in Florida, and members of his cabinet, Mr Trump reiterated his belief that educators should bring weapons to school to try and deter attacks like the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that left 17 people dead.

“I want certain highly adept people, people who understand weaponry, guns... [and] a concealed [carry] permit,” Mr Trump said, describing his vision for armed classrooms.

The billionaire property tycoon floated the idea of giving 10 per cent, 20 per cent, or even 40 per cent bonuses to educators who bring their firearms to school and undergo “rigorous training” beforehand.

Teachers posted on social media using the #ArmMeWith hashtag to ask for more resources – not guns – after the Parkland school shooting.

The National Education Association found an overwhelming majority of teachers would not want to carry a gun in school in a 2018 poll.