WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US state of Florida school employees should not be allowed to carry weapons on elementary school and high school premises, but schools should instead hire armed police officers or other law enforcement figures to protect pupils, Florida School Board Members told Sputnik on Friday.
“I do not think it is a good idea for school employees to be carrying concealed weapons on K-12 school grounds,” Pasco County School Board Member Alison Crumbley said. “I would instead be in favor of having an armed police officer at each campus, which is professionally trained to protect schools.”
Seminole County School Board Member Karen Almond told Sputnik that she will not support the Florida School Gun Bill, also known as HB19, which allows school employees to carry concealed weapons to protect students on school campuses, in its current form.
Crumbley said that her solution, akin to Almond’s, would require budget increases for Florida K-12 schools, which are probably not achievable for most school districts.
On Tuesday, Brevard County School Board Member Andy Ziegler told Sputnik that he would only support the Gun Bill if school employees were mandated to receive training in firearms to make sure accidents did not happen.
Florida State Representative Greg Steube, who introduced the bill, told Sputnik earlier he believed the legislation would provide training to school employees, and will allow flexibility of allowing schools boards to decide whether to implement the law on a local level.
The Florida School Board Association told Sputnik that while they support the goals of Steube’s bill, but will remain neutral on the issue this year.
