Florida Approves Bill Allowing Classroom Teachers To Be Armed
https://www.npr.org/2019/05/02/719585295/florida-approves-bill-allowing-classroom-teachers-to-be-armedMay 2, 2019
After two days of impassioned debate, Florida's House of Representatives passed a controversial bill on Wednesday that would permit classroom teachers to carry guns in schools. The bill was already approved by the Senate; it now goes before Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, who is expected to sign it.
Last year, the legislature created a "guardian" program that allows districts to arm school staff, with the exception of teachers who "exclusively perform classroom duties," according to the Miami Herald. The new bill would remove that exception.
Once the bill is enacted, it will be up to districts to decide whether they want to allow teachers to be armed. Many do not. As NPR member station WLRN reports, most of Florida's school districts have declined to create guardian programs, opting instead to put law enforcement officers in each school. Just 25 of the state's 67 school districts have approved the guardian programs; many of them are in rural areas....
...Under the program, teachers would need to pass a 144-hour training course before they could be armed. Employees at schools in 40 of the state's 67 counties have already either enrolled in that course or plan to do so, Reuters reports, citing a spokesman for the Speaker of the House....