Most unionized Fairfax teachers surveyed don't want guns in schools - unless police are carrying them, according to a new survey released by a teacher's union Thursday.
When teachers were asked whether they "believe there should be guns in schools," 59% said no.
But among those surveyed, 65% said they would support having an armed police officer in their school; 37% said they would support having unarmed security in the school.
Only 5% said they supported having guns in school in the survey of 483 people conducted by the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers.
The survey seemed to show that the union members felt some procedures and facilities were safe, but that there was room for improvement. When asked if they felt school facilites are safe and secure, 45% said some were and some weren't.
When asked if they felt the schools had effective security policies, 60% said some procedures were great, but "we need to reassess others."
The comment section of the survey, which the union provided to News4, quoted teachers who had realistic expectations of security. "Anyone with the intent of doing harm in a school can find a way into the school. There is no perfectly protected school," wrote one teacher.
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"We need to look at what is causing this escalation of gun violence in our nation instead of reacting to individual horrible events," wrote another.
The union surveyed 483 people.
As to what type of school needed security - a question that allowed those surveyed to choose all that supplied - 43% said elementary schools, 60% said middle schools and 66% said high schools. Only 24% said all schools needed security.
Among the most popular suggestions for what procedures needed to be reconsidered, the most popular was visitor control procedures, followed by staff training and conducting drills for emergencies.
