School safety bill to arm teachers, change policies

TALLAHASSEE – Florida’s school safety bill has divided Republicans and Democrats over the issue of allowing classroom teachers to carry guns on campus.

But as the bill heads for a vote by the full Senate, other provisions dealing with mental health, campus crime reporting and active shooter policies have broad bipartisan support.

Despite what both parties view as changes needed to protect students, the bill doesn’t have overwhelming support. The Florida Senate Democratic Caucus has taken a position against the bill because it would put guns in the classroom. It barely passed the Senate Appropriations Committee last week in a 11-9 vote with one Miami Republican state senator voting against it.

Sen. Perry Thurston Jr., D-Fort Lauderdale, said the Democratic and Republican leadership were unable Tuesday to reach an agreement to remove language from the bill that would allow teachers to carry guns on campus.

“It’s a nonstarter for me and for our caucus as well,” he said. “The arming of teachers is just a bridge too far for us.”

Supporters, though, say armed teachers could save lives when most shootings are over in minutes. They also stress that teachers would undergo at least 144 hours of training, and local school boards would decide whether to implement the program.

The heated debate over arming teachers is overshadowing other parts of the bill.

Many of those items would fix problems that contributed to the Parkland massacre that left 17 students and staff dead last year, Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, said during a committee meeting last week. “This bill is a good bill,” she said. “This bill does a lot to keep kids in our community safe.”

The proposal (SB 7030) includes changes that are getting broader support.

Each school board and charter school governing board would be required to adopt an active assailant plan by Oct. 1 and conduct annual training.

A standardized threat assessment process, used to evaluate the risk posed by a student, must be developed by Aug. 1 for use by public schools.

Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz’s records included warning signs that he was dangerous, but the information was never relayed to police or to mental health workers evaluating whether to hospitalize him for psychiatric care, a South Florida Sun Sentinel investigation found.

Student records would be required to be transferred within one school day for students transferring to another school in the district. Records would need to be transferred within two days for students transferring to a school in another district.

The Department of Education could withhold salaries for school board members and superintendents if they don’t comply with state reporting requirements. A Sun Sentinel investigation found that districts weren’t accurately reporting school crime data. For instance, a student at Coral Gables Senior High got a 40-year prison sentence for a fatal stabbing in 2009, a case that attracted national attention, but the Miami-Dade County school district never reported it to the state.

School districts would be required to promote the FortifyFL app, which allows students and staff to report suspicious activity. The app has received 278 tips through Jan. 29.

School mental health plans would be required to include a suicide prevention component. The Senate’s budget proposal increases school-based mental health funding to $100 million, an increase of about $30 million.

School boards wanting to implement a guardian program, which allows the arming of school employees, could work with a sheriff from a neighboring county if their sheriff doesn’t want to implement the program.

The arming teachers provision will be a sticking point as the full Senate takes up the matter.

Support is wavering among some Senate Republicans, who hold a 23-17 advantage in the chamber.

Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, broke ranks and voted against the bill in committee. Sen. Tom Lee, R- Thonotosassa, supported it, but he said he reserves the right to vote against it when it reaches the floor. Lee said he has concerns about the provision that allows school boards to override the judgment of the elected sheriff.

Opposition groups are vowing to continue making the case for why they don’t think teachers should be armed. Student protesters are expected to return to Tallahassee on Wednesday. The Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund is vowing to spend $200,000 on a campaign featuring digital and print add to defeat the proposal to arm teachers.

Sen. Bill Montford, DTallahassee, a former school superintendent, told his colleagues he sees a lot of good in the school safety bill, but he can’t accept allowing teachers to carry firearms.

“I can’t yet get to the point where I think it is safer to have more guns,” he said.