NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — How would you feel about arming teachers, staff or even principals at your child's school? Lawmakers are considering a bill to allow that in private schools.
It would allow private schools that are pre-K through 12th grade to create their own handgun carry rules for their campus. If this sounds familiar, it's because this legislation was brought up during the August special session.
It passed the House, but then sat in the Senate.
Right now, private schools can adopt those policies, but only for K-12. This would expand the law to allow pre-K, opening this up to more schools. This would mean if private school personnel wanted teachers, principals or even coaches to have firearms, then that could happen.
One Covenant mom told lawmakers she supports protecting schools, but only if people carrying those weapons are trained in the right tactics.
“The main purpose of an armed school security person is to neutralize, meaning to kill, the threat and prevent loss of life and bodily harm. Anyone who hasn't had extensive training such as that provided to law enforcement officers will likely be mentally unprepared to take a life, especially that of a student assailant,” said Sarah Shoop Neumann.
Neumann says she agrees with the National Association of SRO, which advocates there should be no armed people on school campuses unless they are carefully selected and specially trained.
This bill will be heard today by the House Civil Justice Committee.
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