Armed Classroom Teachers Becomes One Step Closer To Reality In Florida

The Florida Senate passed a bill allowing classroom teachers to be armed, an expansion of the Guardian program implemented last year following the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The expansion follows recommendations from a state commission led by Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, although not everyone on the commission agreed with the policy. Democratic State Senator Lauren Book, who served on the commission, voted against the bill.

The Senate passed the wide-ranging bill 22-17, with only Republican Sen. Anitere Flores from Miami voting against party lines. The House is set to take up the measure soon.

The legislation would allow teachers to voluntarily carry firearms on school property (if approved by school districts) after completing an evaluation and an extensive training program. For more on this bill, click here.

The bill had a great deal of opposition from students, teachers and parents, including former NFL player Anquan Boldin. In an opinion piece for the Tampa Bay Times, he explains why he feels the bill has no safety benefits and would actually be detrimental to the education system. Click here to read his full piece. You can also hear an in-depth PM Tampa Bay interview with Anquan Boldin about his op-ed in a podcast below.

Many Tampa Bay area school districts also oppose the bill and some have already announced they will not to participate in the program if it passes through the House and is signed by Gov. DeSantis. Hillsborough, Pinellas and Sarasota counties have all voted not to allow teachers in their districts to be armed. For more on which school districts have said "no" to arming teachers, click here.


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