When the public school students of Fontana, Calif., returned to classes in January, something had changed about their schools. Specifically, the Fontana Unified School District had filled on-campus safes with $14,000 in new Colt 6940 semi-automatic rifles for its 14 police officers. The high-powered, long-distance rifles will only be used in “extreme emergency cases.”
As the Los Angeles Times reports, the Fontana school district’s heavy arming of its campus cops has stirred a controversy in the local community. One school board member, Leticia Garcia, told the Times that police officials and school administrators acted without consulting local Fontanans, a grave mistake given the ongoing national debate around guns and schools. “It was not vetted by the board and not vetted by the community,” Garcia said.
MORE: California School District Spent $14,000 on New Semi-Automatic Colt Rifles | Mother Jones.