Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dallas Dance took to Twitter to issue a heartfelt reaction to the shooting that terrorized a Newtown, Conn., elementary school Friday morning.
Writing on Twitter, Dance said he is infuriated by the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, which killed at least 26 people, 18 of whom were children.
Dance's own district was affected by gun violence in August when 15-year-old Robert Wayne Gladden, Jr. opened fire on the first day of school at Perry Hall High, wounding a 17-year-old classmate.
The Perry Hall shooting led Dance to enact a number of security changes in Baltimore schools, including increased school patrols and the allocation of metal detecting wands to school resource officers.
In Michigan, a teachers union head called for more emphasis on school safety. Michigan Education Association President Steve Cook said in a statement Friday that the Sandy Hook tragedy reinforces a need for discussions on the safety of students and school employees. The Michigan legislature on Thursday passed a bill that allows for concealed firearms in schools.
"I am a gun owner and avid outdoorsman, but something must be done to protect our children from such acts of violence," Cook said. "But we need real solutions. ... Those who think that students and teachers will be safer with more guns in our schools are just plain wrong. Thinking that teachers should carry weapons and fire on threats is a recipe for even more death -- not safety."
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