A request to bring in the National Guard to help stop high school violence in Brockton, Massachusetts, is gaining national attention.
A nonprofit formed after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, reached out to officials to propose another solution for the situation at Brockton High School. The Uvalde Foundation wants to help Brockton set up citizen patrol teams to monitor neighborhoods around the school.
The foundation has yet to receive a response back from the district, but they said it is prepared to recruit and organize.
"It is a sad state of affairs in this nation when a school has to call upon the National Guard to protect its students. We have a better solution and it starts with a community who decides to take action to protect their own sons and daughters," the foundation’s founder Daniel Chapin said in a release.
Teachers are also proposing alternatives. Cliff Canavan, who was injured breaking up a fight at Brockton High School in 2022, said what needs to change is the state's school discipline law. He said the law, known as Chapter 222, severely limits the school's ability to suspend students.
"They're not going to care if it's a National Guard uniform or if it's a teacher. They're going to continue to act the same way unless they're held accountable in an effective manner," Canavan said.
Bringing in military support would not make much of a difference without the power to discipline, he said.
"What are they going to do? They're not allowed to discipline the kids any differently than we are," Canavan said. "If kids don't feel like they're actually being punished, it enables the behavior to continue."
Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan said he also supports changing the regulations that hamper the efforts of teachers. In a statement, he said he does not think military measures are appropriate.
