Do you support legislation that would create a death benefit for NH school employees killed in the line of duty?

The New Hampshire Legislature is considering extending school employees the same death benefit of $100,000 given to police officers who are killed in the line of duty.

HB 1415, sponsored by state Rep. Mary Heath (D-Manchester) and others, defines “killed in the line of duty” as a death caused by the purposeful violence of another person, such as in a school shooting.

It The death benefit would apply to any employee—full time or part time—at a public school, public academy, or charter school approved by the state of New Hampshire, including the university system of New Hampshire and the community college system of New Hampshire.

School employee deaths

Doug Ley, president of the New Hampshire chapter of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT-NH) testified before a legislative committee that since Columbine in 1996, there have been 202 school shootings in the United States, resulting in the deaths of 164 students, 44 educators and school employees, and three security/police personnel. However, none of these shootings took place in New Hampshire.

Pros and cons of a death benefit

Proponents argue that the death benefit would compensate for the anguish and loss suffered by a family when a school employee is killed in the line of duty. They argue school employees are de facto first responders, shielding and protecting children from harm.

Opponents of the measure say an individual’s life insurance policy should be enough to compensate for the unlikely chance of being killed while working at a school. A similar bill failed in 2016, in part because school employees enrolled in the New Hampshire Retirement System already have a death benefit.

Others argue that instead of passing a benefit for those killed in school shootings, the Legislature should act to prevent such shootings from occuring in the first place (though opinions on how to do so vary, from imposing stricter gun control measures to permitting teachers to carry firearms in the classroom).

What do you think? Do you support a death benefit for school personnel? Let us know why in the comments section.