Union opposes arming school staff
Florida’s teachers union on Thursday urged Gov. Rick Scott to veto funding for a program that would allow some public school employees to be armed on campus.
The Florida Education Association wrote to the governor the day after the Legislature approved a gun-control and school-safety package that aims to improve school security in the wake of last month’s deadly shootings at a high school in Parkland.
The union’s letter did not suggest that Scott veto the bill but instead asked him to use his line-item power to cut from the state budget funding for the “Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program.” That program would allow some school employees, with training, to be carry guns on campus. That section of the bill (HB 7026) was one of the most controversial and has prompted lots of debate.
Scott has said he was not interested in arming teachers. Spokesman John Tupps said Thursday the governor was reviewing the bill and planned to meet with the families of the victims at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High before deciding whether to sign it. students from Miami Beach Senior High School for the “March For Our Lives Miami” rally. Led by Beach High’s marching band, the event begins at 10 a.m. at the school, 2231 Prairie Ave., and will travel to Collins Park, 2100 Collins Ave. At noon, the walk returns to the Miami Beach High campus.
The Women’s League of Voters will also be at Miami Beach High for voter registration.
Doral: The West Miami-Dade city will have its walk 10 a.m. at Downtown Doral Park, 8395 NW 53rd St.
Fort Lauderdale: Details will be posted on marchforourlives.com
Key West: The walk starts at 1 p.m. at Southernmost Beach, 1405 Duval St.
Parkland: The march
The bill excludes from the guardian program those who “exclusively perform classroom duties.” But the union said it would still allow more than 200,000 school employees to carry guns in Florida’s public schools as many people teach and take on other duties, such as coaching.
“We urge you to honor your instincts and act to keep additional firearms from our schools unless they are in the hands of trained law enforcement personnel,” the letter read. “The provision that would arm school employees will do more harm than good.”
The guardian program is named for a coach at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who was among the 17 people killed Feb. 14 when a former student attacked the school. The program would be voluntary, if a local sheriff’s department wanted to establish it.
begins at 9 a.m. at Pine Trails Park, 10555 Trails End. The park has become a place for memorials and a gathering spot for families and neighbors of the Broward city since the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas.
Pembroke Pines: The march kicks off at 10 a.m at Ben Fiorendino Park, 10211 Taft St.
South Palm Beach County: Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and Delray Beach are holding a joint walk beginning at 10:30 a.m. at Boca Raton City Hall, 201 West Palmetto Park Rd. and traveling to Mizner Park, 327 Plaza Real.
West Palm Beach: The walk is at 2 p.m. at Dreher Park, 1100 Southern Blvd.
To RSVP for one of the events, visit marchforourlives.com and search the city. The list will be updated as more events are announced.