GUILFORD COUNTY – After listening to parents complain for weeks, school district leaders decided Tuesday to talk with police about stun guns.

The Guilford County Board of Education voted 9-2 to invite the High Point and Greensboro police chiefs and Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes to a meeting to discuss the weapons.

“We have not spoken about Tasers as a board, and we should,” said Sandra Alexander, an at-large board member.

School resource officers are assigned to almost all district high schools and many middle schools. Board Chairman Alan Duncan has warned board members that neither county commissioners nor the school board can stop law enforcement agencies from deploying the weapons. Deputies have used stun guns at schools on four occasions in the past two years.

Following a September incident at Ragsdale High School, several outraged parents complained to the school board about the danger of using stun guns on students. A school resource officer used a Taser stun gun on a 15-year-old female student after she threatened two faculty members and assaulted the officer, according to the Guilford County Sheriff’s office.

High Pointer Carlvena Foster has sided with several fellow school board members who called for discussing a review process for stun-gun incidents. Board member Deena Hayes has suggested forming a review committee with subpoena powers to investigate stun-gun incidents.

Board members have several views on Tasers. Foster voted for the expanded discussion. Foster also favors expanded intervention training for SROs.

Board member Garth Hebert of High Point has suggested that strict reviews could deter experienced officers from taking SRO jobs because they could twice risk losing their jobs following a stun-gun incident.

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