EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – Claiming an uneasiness over recent school shootings, bureaucrats at the Eau Claire School District canceled their annual Veterans’ Day Program over the traditional 21-gun salute.

The controversy, first reported at Eau Claire NBC-affiliate WEAU, will end a tradition at Eau Claire schools that goes back to the 1930s.

The Eau Claire Patriotic Council says it will not be able to teach younger generations about the sacrifices veterans have made this year because the organization isn’t able to properly do so.

There are several different reasons cited, but one of the main concerns focuses around firearms on school grounds.

Vice President of the Patriotic Council, Kaye Olsen says, “Now as the last few years have gone on, with the school shootings and everything, it’s getting harder to do our veterans programs like we want to.”

Olsen says with the recent school shootings, guns on school grounds have become an issue, but that also means hurting what she says is a meaningful tradition.

“It’s really hard to tell the veterans they’re not allowed to bring those rifles in,” says Olsen. “Which, the only purpose is, to honor our flag and our country and to teach the kids.”

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Despite the fact that local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Legion, and other veterans’ groups traditionally use blanks for the 21-gun salute, Eau Claire school bureaucrats feel having guns on school property would be “inappropriate.”

“We like to honor the veterans; we bring them in on a regular basis,” says Tim Leibham, the Executive Director of Administration with the district. “There are just some conditions that we have to adhere to and the shooting of guns, even with blanks, is something we don’t feel is appropriate given society, and the concerns that we have and that the community has, on school premises.”

Leibham says the district wants to accommodate the programs but has to keep the well-being of the students and their families in mind as well

Leibham says, “We’d had family and students that were uneasy, even with blanks being fired on school premise.”

The Eau Claire Patriotic Council will still hold a Veterans’ Day program at a nearby Burger King on the city’s west side. Events included a wreath laying and the traditional 21-gun salute and began around 10:30 this morning.

Authored by Kevin Binversie
Published with permission