Local parent starts petition to increase school security

Mark Fields has two children in Buncombe County Schools. Like most parents, he was shocked by the Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Conn. By midday Dec. 15, he posted a petition aimed at local political officials and a simple plea: Make sure there are armed police officers and marked police cars at every school.

Since posting the petition, Fields has started a website, safeinourschools.com and heard from Buncombe County Commissioner David Gantt. As of today, Dec. 18, at noon, the petition had 225 signatures.

“We are committed to making sure that every child is safe in their school or any government building,” said Gantt. “This is not something we have ignored, and every school currently has a plan. We will continue to listen to the input from our chief law enforcement officers, the school superintendents and the public on this, as we always have.”

“We have to deal with the reality of the times,” says Fields. “The possibility is there, that this could happen here. Would having a police officer at every school help? It can’t hurt. If the safety and security of our children is really our first priority, this seems the least we can do to prove that.”

So far, Fields’ petition drive is a one-man operation. He is looking for interested parties to spread the word toward collecting 10,000 signatures.

The text of the petition, which can be found online:

Dear _______,

In light of the news of yet another horrific tragedy of a massacre of children and teachers in a school in our country on Friday, December 14th, it is now time that we take the steps to assure our community that this WILL NEVER HAPPEN HERE.

As a taxpayer it is nice to drive on good roads, and to enjoy all of the things that our taxes provide and there is NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT than the security and safe keeping of our community’s children. Please sign this petition asking our public leaders to act immediately to provide each of our City and County Public Schools with an on-duty Police Officer or Sheriff during the hours that children are in attendance, while simultaneously working to develop and implement a permanent plan to “Protect Our Children” while in the custody of our Public Schools.

Let us seize this moment while the emotions of this horrible crime are fresh in our hearts and minds and not wait another moment.

Ask our City and County leaders to take action immediately to protect our children and assure that this sort of tragedy NEVER HAPPENS HERE.

Respectfully,

Mark Fields

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.