A controversial law allowing some Florida teachers to carry guns inside the classroom goes into effect today.
The bill was passed in response to the Parkland school shooting last year, in which 17 students and staff were killed.
However, the bill allows for school districts to opt out of arming teachers, with two of the largest districts – Miami-Dade and Orlando – opting to do so. Meanwhile, a handful of smaller districts are all in, according to reports in CBS News.
While we may never know just how many teachers will be carrying guns, because they’re supposed to remain anonymous for their safety, students in Bay County schools, located along the Florida Panhandle, may be walking into classrooms where teachers are carrying a handgun today.
The bill was approved in a 22-17 vote mostly along party lines, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports as per the New York Post.
At the time the law was passed, it was reported teachers would need to undergo at least 144 hours of training and pass a psychological evaluation before they would be permitted to carry.
Those who supported the measure argued that teachers carrying guns could help stop armed attackers in their tracks, given the fact it sometimes takes several minutes before law enforcement arrives on the scene in response to a shooting.
However, those who voted against it believe armed teachers could create another safety risk for students, in addition to the burden bestowed on teachers.
The bill also includes more standard school safety provisions, including a risk assessment process for students and enhanced reporting of safety incidents.
Schools in the area have already been given an armed resource officer, however the so-called Guardian Program which allowed some staff and coaches to carry guns on campus now extends to teachers.
In 2010, a gunman walked into a school board meeting where he fired at a number of staff members including Bay County Schools superintendent Bill Husfelt. Fortunately, the gunman missed and was shot by a security guard before taking his life.
Speaking about the new law, Bill Husfelt told CBS News:
Everybody wants to know ‘How do we prevent it?’ How can we stop it. We don’t look at it as we want more guns, we look at it as we want more protection.
You know experiencing that myself put a different spin on it and a different understanding about what goes on in those situations.
You know, until you’re standing in front of someone with a gun pointed at you, you don’t realize how helpless you really are.
Only seven of Florida’s 67 county school districts have confirmed they’ll be arming teachers, however it’s unknown how many schools will actually be taking the measures.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.