The proposal is an update to a school safety bill that passed last year, which required every school to hire a school resource officer, or SRO. This year’s legislation would mandate every SRO carry a gun.
“I know as a parent when I drop my children off at school I want to make sure that they are going into a safe environment,” bill sponsor Sen. Max Wise (R-Campbellsville) told the House committee Tuesday. “If we are going to say these schools are going to be safe, and you’re having sworn law enforcement officers, they’ve got to be able to do their job if a situation were to get to that potential tragedy.”
All SRO’s are already armed, so most districts would see no changes, according to the Kentucky Center for School Safety.
Rep. Mary Lou Marzian (D-Louisville) voted against the gun requirement. In committee, Marzian pointed to numerous police shootings of unarmed Black men and women across the county.
“I’m really worried about a child in the school reaching for a pencil and an SRO shooting that child by mistake, and I think it’s only a matter of time until that happens,” she said.
The House education committee passed the bill despite those concerns. It goes to the House floor for a final vote.
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