In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Conn., Line Mountain Superintendent Dave Campbell said he would support any changes that would prevent such tragedies - including arming teachers or having more of a police presence in schools.
"If a great plan was put together with good logic, it's always something to explore, if it could potentially save lives," Campbell said Monday.
With the proper training, an armed teacher might be able to save lives inside a school, he said.
Campbell also recognized the limitations, saying a trained teacher might not even be near a shooter to stop him.
However, the superintendent said he would prefer seeing trained law enforcement officers in the school over armed teachers.
"That's their (police) job. That's what they've trained to do their whole life," Campbell said.
Keeping students safe versus keeping their lives normal is a balancing act every day, he said.
"You try to continue with normal school days without causing students anxiety. As you try to improve, you try not to disrupt their school day. You do what you can to protect them, but you try to keep their lives normal," he said.
Mount Carmel Township Police Chief Brian Hollenbush anticipates that there will be more funding in 2013 to support school resource officers in response to the tragedy.
The Mount Carmel Area School District has a school resource officer until Dec. 31, but Hollenbush wants to keep the position there.
"A lot of little souls were taken that didn't need to be taken. As a parent and law enforcement officer, I am here for the school district. They shouldn't have to worry that they won't come home at the end of the day. I will continue in whatever capacity I can to keep the officer in the school setting," he said.
He said stricter gun control might not solve the problem.
"Would it really stop the issue? It might be a deterrent, but I don't think it will give the total answer," he said.
Time for action
Northumberland County District Attorney Tony Rosini said he sees no reason for anyone to own an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, which is "essentially a machine gun."
"It's true purpose is killing. It's not a weapon that should be out in the public. That sort of weapon is not okay for a modern society," he said.
Rosini was quick to note he wasn't advocating a ban on guns and said he owns a pistol himself, but he echoed the president's words by saying something needs to be done to prevent these types of tragedies.
"I don't have a crystal ball on what would change society. Nationally, we need to look at all the factors and address those issues. It's time to take action," he said.
Rosini also said he supports laws that would improve mental health services provided to those who need them.
He said he has seen and heard a lot of threats in his career.
"You just don't know which person will be the person that will act on what they said. It's just impossible to predict what human beings will do," he said.
Dr. Donna Pinter, founder and director of Psychological Services Clinic, which has offices in Bloomsburg, Danville and Sunbury, said it's common for people to attempt to make sense of tragedies.
"We all want answers. How could something so horrible like this happen? But to answer this question, there's no real answer. It's outside the realm of logic," she said.
Individuals in mental health treatment usually don't kill others; it is those who are not receiving any kind of treatment who pose a threat, she said.
"The frustration is we don't want people to blame mental health issues across the board. That's not right. Focus on the person, not the diagnosis," she said.
Dr. Frederick Gimino, a psychologist at the Psychological Services Clinic, said there are often clear warning signs or behaviors of violence.
"If we have patients who say these things, we take them seriously. If someone is suicidal, we take it seriously," he said.
Pinter said the local area has a "vast amount" of mental health services to help people in need.
She also said the tragedy in Connecticut is complex and there may never be a way to figure out why it happened.