Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has raised the possibility of using federal funds to supply teachers with guns in order to prevent mass shootings, such as those in Parkland, Florida, and Santa Fe, Texas.

According to a New York Times report, the funds would be taken from the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants, which Congress passed in 2015. These grants are part of the Every Student Succeeds Act and were originally intended for U. S. financially struggling schools to receive aid for teaching digital literacy, improving conditions of schools, and bettering education.

The Times also reported that while this would be a federal legislation, there would be some leeway for states and local districts to determine the measures they will take to ensure school security.

Iowa City Superintendent of Schools Stephen Murley said his biggest concern regarding DeVos’ proposition is spending money to arm teachers that otherwise would have been used for student learning.

He said the School District is already under public federal money.

“Taking money away from kids is somethings I certainly would not support,” Murley said.

Not only is this possible legislation costly, it is quite evident that teachers do not want it. Murley spoke with the Iowa City teachers’ association and confirmed they don’t support arming teachers.

If this legislation passes, he said, it could result in strong reactions from teachers.

“I know that every one of these incidents is horrific. They make parents and students more apprehensive about safety in schools,” Murley said. “But schools are still the safest place for kids to be, looking at statistical analysis. Kids are less likely to be harmed during school than anywhere else. We work really hard so that they can focus on teachers teaching and students learning.”

The concern for safety reaches out to not only professional educators but to students training to be teachers as well.

UI College of Education senior Lillian Boenker said she would not feel safe in a classroom knowing there was a gun, even though she has a hunter-safety license and grew up around guns.

“[I would feel] forced to see each student like a threat,” Boenker said. “I want to see each student as an opportunity.”

UI education senior Anna Zirtzman noted the different training students go through to become teachers, which includes seminars from the police in the case of a shooting.

“The cops are trained to go in and look for a shooter,” she said. “They don’t know who works in the school. So if they see a teacher with a gun, that teacher is now also in danger.”

Boenker said she doesn’t believe school is a place for firearms, and violence is not going to stop violence.

“Most shootings happen by students, so I do not think I could shoot my student, psychologically,” she said. “Even though they are harming another person, they are still a person I see every day. Being expected to shoot that student is something that should never be asked of as a teacher.”