As a high school teacher I voted for the last choice, all in. I don't think that should be the first step but I'd like to get there asap.
It's late and I'm going to be quick, and probably a little sloppy in my reasoning.
If you have kids in school you trust them everyday to adults. You trust them in my science classroom to be safe. Safe from outside harm and safe as we conduct class and experiments. You trust them to be safe around me. You trust the driver of the bus, the cafeteria ladies, the janitor, the crossing guard. You put your children in our trust everyday. It only takes a momentary lapse for any one of the dozens of people around your children everyday to harm your child unintentionally.
I am around children quite frequently outside of school and carry around them. I don't have a problem there anymore than I would at school.
I respect a parent's desire to protect their children but you also expect me to protect them and I take my responsibility to protect your children very seriously.
Yes there are crack pots that probably don't need a CHL. There are also bus drivers that shouldn't be driving, cafeterial ladies that can't read labels, and teachers that are a disgrace to the profession but that shouldn't disqualify a CHL holder from being able to protect themselves or those, if they choose, around them.
I'm not sure about the teachers in your area but most of the ones I know around here love and will protect your kids to the best of their ability. Add in the few that are responsible enough to a CHL and you have the makings of a very safe environment.
Its our kids with other adults. I don't know them. I sure don't trust them.
believe the real danger and risk to the children is trusting their minds to strangers. What school systems do to our childrens brains is arguably more dangerous than a couple of CHLers
And I personally take insult to the teacher/school bashing. We certainly have our fair share of incompetence and "bad teaching" but we get dumped on way too often. Society needs a scapegoat and the education system is a convienent one. Education is a product of society. If you don't like the way your school system works, change it, find another, or home school. If you are trusting your kids to strangers maybe you need to visit the school more often or quit sitting in the back of the auditorium on parent's night fidgiting with your cell phone and get into the school and get to know the "strangers" that YOU send your kids to for 8 hours a day. Nobody is kidnapping them. It is your choice.
I don't like everything in the education system either. That's why I moved to a school that aligns with my value system. It cost me almost half my salary and is about twice as much work but I am with my own son everyday and I can teach curriculum and values that I believe most everyone on this board would generally agree with. There also are a lot fewer "demon seeds". What are your kids worth? Will you vote in a new school board? Will you find another school or district, even if it means moving? Will you home school? If people aren't willing to do any of these things, then don't complain. You have choices and you made the very one you are complaining about.
Now see what happened. School carry and the educational system in one post got me all fired up.