A California high school teacher who accidentally fired a gun during a safety training in class last month resigned.
“Dennis Alexander submitted his resignation on March 29 effective at the end of this school year,” Monterey Peninsula Unified School District spokeswoman Marci McFadden told the Monterey County Herald. “He currently remains on administrative leave while we continue our internal disciplinary process.”
Alexander, who taught administration of justice at Seaside High School, accidentally fired his police service weapon, a Glock 21 .45-caliber handgun, during a lesson to students about gun safety.
The incident injured three students by falling ceiling debris caused by the bullet, according to the County Herald.
Alexander was immediately placed on administrative leave after the incident and apologized at a city council meeting.
The Washington Post reports that Alexander also resigned from the Sand City Police Department, where he served as a reserve officer.
The California incident was not the only time a teacher accidentally discharged a firearm in school.
In Georgia, a social studies teacher at Dalton High School, located approximately 90 miles northwest of Atlanta, reportedly fired a gun in an empty classroom where no students were injured.
The episodes raised the alarm for those skeptical of solutions proposed to curb school gun violence in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., shooting that include arming school personnel with firearms.
The proposal to arm teachers has been a hallmark proposal supported by gun rights advocates such as the National Rifle Association, while gun control groups and U.S. teachers have generally been opposed to the idea. Only 7 percent of teachers said arming staff and teachers would be the most effective way to prevent school shootings, according to a Gallup poll released last month.
