According to a national survey conducted by NACAC, school counselors overwhelmingly oppose efforts to arm educators as a response to gun violence in schools. Nearly three-quarters of 2,251 counselors who responded were either “somewhat opposed” or “strongly opposed” to policies that seek to arm teachers and other school staff.
Other key findings include:
- Seventy-four percent of school counselors viewed current federal, state, and local gun control measures as “too weak.”
- Forty-seven percent of school counselors reported that their responsibilities for communicating with parents about school violence had either increased or greatly increased over the past three years.
- Fifty-one percent of school counselors reported that their responsibilities related to assessing potential school violence threats had increased or greatly increased over the past three years.
- Seventy-three percent of school counselors reported that their responsibilities for mental health and/or social/emotional counseling had increased or greatly increased over the past three years.
- Twenty-one percent of school counselors reported that their schools had hired additional staff in the past three years in response to gun violence or other school safety issues.