A small but vocal group of Staten Islanders blasted the Department of Education during a community council meeting last night, passing a resolution calling for armed retired NYPD officers in public schools. Those in attendance, some of them ex-cops themselves, were excited about the possibility of adding an extra layer of security outside homeroom, particularly in the wake of last month's horrific massacre at a Connecticut elementary school.

Armed guards weren't the only added security measure put forth in the resolution, which also called for buzzer systems, panic buttons and cameras. But at last night's monthly Community Education 31 Council meeting at the Michael J. Petrides School, guns were the main attraction. Mark D'Avino, a retired fireman who has three children in Staten Island schools, spoke in favor of the resolution. "I've heard some comments tonight that we're putting guns in schools. We're putting trained professionals in schools," he said, eliciting cheers from many of the 50 or so parents scattered in an otherwise media-heavy crowd. "In my lifetime, if nothing ever happens, it's my tax money well spent."

Kathy Perez, a former NYPD officer and current parent, urged schools to beef up security before it was too late: "We never, ever want there to be a day we're standing in front of you saying, 'Why?'" And one woman, who has three small children in the school system, said she's been living in fear of violence since the tragedy in Connecticut. "This should have taken place a long time ago," she said.

Not every parent was so thrilled about the prospect of putting an armed guard on school property, though. Laura Cavalleri, who has children at schools in the Stapleton section of Staten Island, said she wanted to see fewer guns in her area and more parent involvement. "My neighborhood has enough guns. What will one more do?" she said. "This will not work in my neighborhood." And Denise Wright, whose son attends high school in a low-income area in the borough, said she feared armed cops in schools would do more harm than good. "Teenagers do a lot of crazy things," she said. "I don't want to see or hear about any child getting shot 51 times because they were acting 'dizzy.'"

Despite the voices of dissent and a few calls for increased gun control, the Council passed the resolution with a vote of 8 to 1. But a resolution from CEC 31 is just a recommendation to the DOE, and both Mayor Bloomberg and City Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott have made it clear they don't want to put armed cops in schools. Parents and the Council voiced frustration with the mayor, saying they felt ignored. When a mother asked if Mayor Bloomberg could accept parts of the resolution rather than vote on it at a whole, Council President Sam Pirozzollo told her the mayor could do whatever he wanted. "Yeah, unfortunately I see that," she said.

But whether Bloomberg ignores Staten Island or not, politicians outside the borough are beginning to weigh in on this first post-Newtown call-to-arms in the city: