The people you are describing as fully qualified don't exist in law enforcement. Period. In fact, the officers first responding to the scene may only shoot twice a year, less than two boxes of ammo then, and they are the initial rescue team.
The school threat so far in CONUS has been cowardly pieces of shit who think a gun and a pair make a man. Not pros. Yet, anyway. When that happens, all bets are off.
Let's examine the school shooting scenarios so far. Normally, a crazed geek (or two) is walking through the building shooting other kids pretty much at random, just because he can. Police response is normally several minutes away. Your kids (or mine) are per policy, in a classroom hiding under their desk with a glass paneled door locked, hoping that the BG does not come in and take their lives. I'll let the teacher who does have a pair, but only practices monthly, take his best shots as the punk forces the door, rather than hoping that the slimy little bastard doing this runs out of ammo and pipe bombs first. IMHO, if the scumbag perp is confronted by a determined man with a gun, he may just quit, since he is a loser to start with. If the teacher is not confident, at least he can cover the door effectively. I believe that you are discussing hostage rescue. I am talking about defensive shooting, which is a damn sight easier. Even some officers can do it.
The choice here is not what some are making it.
Essentially, scenario one is teacher has no gun, so teacher keeps the kids quiet and locked down while they hope and pray that the competent SWAT arrives in a timely fashion, or the BG suicides or runs out of ammo.
Scenario two is teacher gets his gun out and makes sure that the bastard doesn't get into the room to hurt any of HIS kids.
I guess scenario three could be teacher is hunting down the bad guy in a hallway or classroom full of kids, but that looks like absolute worst case to me and a generally bad idea.
The guns stay locked up in a quick opening lockbox, like the ones some of us use in our homes.
The FFDOs have a training and qualification regimen they have to follow. It is LE sensitive and the ones who post here can give it if they are permitted. I do know that it is not cheap or easy. Incidentally, again, the gun is not in the cockpit for the FFDO to go all Steven Segal and to shoot down 8 hijackers in the main cabin with a 7 round mag and no friendly hits. That is the FAM's job, not the pilot's. The gun is there to keep someone from breaking down a 72" x 24" reinforced door and taking control of the plane. Defensive shooting, not surgical, discriminating, or offensive. I trust that they have sufficient training to put enough of the 12 rounds in the first mag into BGs to make that breaching mission very unpopular. If I had a choice when signing up for a flight, I would take the armed aircrew over the unarmed every time. Maybe I am just too trusting like that. The FFDO program has been in effect for a few year now. More FAMs have lost control of their weapons than FFDOs, IIRC.
The real loophole was cargo carriers, which were not covered by the FFDO program till recently. That is important, since the FedEx DC-10 full of JP-8 and Christmas gifts is just as deadly to people on the ground as a DC-10 full of JP-8 and passengers. Yes, there have been armed attempts to take over cargo planes for terrorist purposes which resulted in serious injuries. Glad that they are allowed to carry now as well.
Why would the pilot having a gun bother me when he is already flying the plane I am trapped in? If he can't be trusted with as gun, I sure as hell don't want him flying me around.
The armed teacher program could have whatever rules and requirements you wanted, as long as it allowed qualified people to have access to a gun in emergencies.
Read this now, and believe me later, Doc:
Off the top of my head, at least one teacher (Vice Prinicpal, actually) with a gun has already stopped a school shooting. Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Students with guns have already stopped a school shooting at a law school in Virginia. Not sure if that is a real good thing or not. You can google it for the details.
FFDO saves? Not that I have heard of yet. But I sleep better having fire insurance and an extinguisher, even though I haven't needed them yet either, so it doesn't bother me.
Guess we will have to disagree on the origins of the Bill of Rights as well, hermano. Different strokes for different folks. Especially medics.
TR