FLORIDA — Governor Ron Desantis signed a bill Wednesday that would allow teachers to carry concealed weapons in the classroom.
This bill is an expansion of the state's Guardian program, which allows some school staff to carry guns after going through training, but not teachers. This new bill would remove that exception, and allow teachers to be armed with the approval of the school board.
25 out of 67 school districts in Florida already participate in the Guardian program. Hendry County is the only one in Southwest Florida.
However, several school districts in our state that have embraced the Guardian program, have not embraced this law. It's unclear how many districts will implement it.
Teachers who volunteer to carry concealed weapons and are chosen by the school's superintendents would undergo psychological evaluations, background checks, drug screenings and at least 144 hours of police-style training.
The Florida Department of Education says their top priority is the safety and welfare of students in Florida, and they support the bill.
In addition to arming teachers, a follow up bill will also create new guidelines on reporting school safety incidents, assessing student's mental health, and establishing standardized "threat assessment" tools for schools to keep records of students they feel pose a "behavioral threat" to themselves or others.
