A plan to hire a new, armed security officer for the Natchez-Adams School District is nothing to celebrate.

In fact, that we need such an officer is downright troubling.

It underscores how deeply our world has changed.

Once upon a time schoolyard fights might have resulted in a busted lip or perhaps a black eye.

Today, astonishingly, an increasing number of teens have ready access to firearms.

This problem is not one to be solved by stricter gun control. Handguns in the hands of teenagers are illegal now.

The problem is no one is questioning this behavior and putting an end to it. So harmless fights of yesteryear potentially have deadly results today.

We appreciate and applaud the school district’s board of trustees for moving out on the hire, if they feel the position is necessary. The safety of our community’s children should be paramount.

But at the same time our community needs to pause and consider the situation.

A fight earlier this month at Natchez High School that resulted in the arrest of 10 students was the impetus of the decision to hire the new officer, school officials said. Fortunately no firearms were involved.

Such a fight that results in having to call law enforcement in for help speaks to a lack of control in the district and a lack of respect among the students.

Both of those problems are fixable, but the solution starts not with an armed guard, but with some tough love.

Students who fight should be expelled and their parents held responsible for any damage or injury their children create.

Perhaps only when our community says, “enough,” to violence and works together to get rid of it, can our community again thrive.