Addison Community Schools, citing the school's remote location in northwestern Lenawee County near Jackson and Hillsdale counties, said it is difficult for police to reach the area quickly, WILX reported.
School district officials said it took police 38 minutes to respond to a threat "to shoot up the school" written on a girls' bathroom wall, Sheriff Troy Bevier told MLive. It took deputies 14 minutes to respond, to another call in May 2019, Bevier told the website.
Neither threat was credible, the sheriff said.
The Addison School Board has discussed arming employees for more than a year, Superintendent Steve Guerra told MLive.
“We haven’t taken this lightly,” Guerra said. “I think it’s just one more opportunity to keep our kids safe.”
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled last year that schools can legally ban guns on school property, MLive reported.
Guerra said the district has taken steps to ensure safety. He told MLive that 192 shatterproof windows and 60 security cameras were installed through a grant from the Michigan State Police.
School officials said if they received a positive response from parents, they would vote on the issue, according to WILX.
"Can I guarantee people's safety if all (of a) sudden I was carrying? No," Guerra told MLive. "But I feel I can reduce the casualties."
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