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Local teachers' union opposes new bill to expand Guardian Program

The Gadsden County Classroom Teachers' Association says despite the preparation, the concept of giving teachers guns is the wrong approach to school safety
Posted at 6:17 PM, Mar 22, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-22 18:17:51-04

GADSDEN COUNTY, Fla. — A local teachers union says the latest push to arm teachers in Florida is a dangerous idea.

On Thursday, the House Education Committee approved a new bill to expand the Guardian Program.

The bill would give classroom teachers the option to serve as armed guardians.

Those teachers would have to go through 144 hours of training, a background check, and a psych evaluation.

The Gadsden County Classroom Teachers' Association says despite the preparation, the concept of giving teachers guns is the wrong approach to school safety.

"In the situation that happened down south, even the people that were trained were not able to identify who the gunman was. And so, now you're asking teachers who teach on a regular basis to identify who the gunman is in a situation that's already chaotic," said Judith Mandela, Vice President of the Gadsden County Classroom Teachers' Association. "So, to give teachers guns a way of protecting or preventing a situation does not make sense."

The Florida Senate will review its version of the bill Tuesday.

Fewer than half of the state's districts are using guardians this year.