Readers React: What’s LAUSD doing with ex-military weapons?

To the editor: Los Angeles Unified school police will return three grenade launchers provided by the federal government but will keep the 61 semiautomatic M-16 rifles and a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected armored vehicle. (“L.A. schools police will return grenade launchers but keep rifles, armored vehicle,” Sept. 16)

Am I the only one who questions why the school district needs any of this? An emergency 911 call will bring L.A. city police officers or county sheriff’s deputies to the scene; these people are better equipped than school police to handle shootings or hostage situations.

The “breakfast in the classroom” program that wastes so much food, the glitchy multimillion-dollar computer payroll system, the iPad program that has had legal, ethical and financial issues from the beginning, and now military-grade weapons: It’s enough to make one wonder if anyone is really in charge.

Perhaps the LAUSD is too big to manage.

Edward Schaack, Los Angeles

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To the editor: I would really like to know what L.A. Unified is doing with military equipment. For what purpose does the district need military rifles or an armored vehicle?

At no time in the past have things ever gotten so bad at a school that military-grade weaponry was needed. So nice of them to return the grenade launchers. This is not a war zone, and we’re not under attack.

If the Board of Education doesn’t rethink this stupidity, the next election is going to get really interesting.

Les Hartzman, Los Angeles

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