North Carolina Schools Chief Opposed To Arming Teachers

North Carolina's schools chief is opposed to arming teachers in classrooms, an idea President Donald Trump and some legislators in North Carolina and other states have suggested following the shootings at a Florida high school that killed 17 people.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson said Monday he supports the General Assembly increasing money to hire more law enforcement officers in the schools. But Johnson says in a release teachers should not be asked to take on the "massive responsibility" of having firearms in the classroom. He says he's been working to reduce burdens on teachers.

A North Carolina House committee has been formed to evaluate school safety and how it can be improved. Johnson says firearms on school grounds should be in the hands of trained, uniformed law-enforcement professionals.

Governor Roy Cooper has since voiced his agreement, saying in a tweet that having teachers carry guns is "a very bad idea."