The Republican Party of Georgia has proposed a scheme that will reward teachers with an additional $10,000 if they bring their weapons to the classroom.
Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones informed a local media station that this law and the related state money would guarantee that schools and teachers throughout Georgia have the tools and training they need to boost safety.
We hope the General Assembly will back these efforts to expand on recent school safety measures, and Jones has emphasized that the systems and people would have the choice to participate in the training, certification, and compensation. Jones said the law was a reaction to mass shootings in schools.
Republican state senator and bill sponsor Clint Dixon claims that armed educators would be better able to deal with any dangers in the classroom.
Sheriff Jud Smith of Barrow County, Georgia, agrees with the proposal.
A spokesperson for Jones said the new compensation will be $10,000 per year for participating instructors. Funding would be allocated to implement the proposal’s plan to let schools utilize current school safety grant opportunities to fund the hiring of POST-certified (Peace Officer’s Standards and Training) security officers.
Georgia Association of Educators president Lisa Morgan criticized the plan as a basic approach to a complicated issue, recommending instead that the state invest in additional mental health professionals in schools.
Last Monday, a school board in Iowa decided to provide teachers the right to carry concealed weapons on campus.
Superintendent Kim Lingenfelter of the Cherokee Public Schools was reported as saying no one wants firearms at school, but they want bad people with a gun even less. The board has taken the problem of ensuring the safety of kids and faculty extremely seriously.
Regarding school districts in northwest Iowa, Cherokee was the second to approve armed personnel. According to the article, the Spirit Lake school board passed a policy in August that would enable ten teachers and administrators to carry concealed weapons on school grounds.
