The State Senate Education Committee is scheduled to consider and possibly vote on several bills tomorrow, including one introduced by Senator Don White that would allow school districts to arm its personnel in order to protect students.
The legislation is a re-introduction of a bill that was considered last year. It would clarify the Crime Code, which White says is “unclear on the possession of a weapon at school”. Among the items the senator includes is a letter from Indiana County District Attorney Pat Dougherty, who he says “interprets the law to include the act of protecting school students…and believe school boards already have the authority to permit their employees to carry firearms on school property.”
White’s bill allows school employees to carry firearms “if they receive authorization from the school board of directors, are licensed to carry a concealed firearm and have met certain training requirements in the use and handling of firearms.” He says it is especially important for rural districts, where police may not be able to respond as quickly to a school shooter situation.
The Education Committee is also scheduled to review a bill offered by Senator John Rafferty, which would deny state funding to “any college or university that declares itself a sanctuary campus, refuses to share information about undocumented students, or in any way impedes the federal government’s ability to enforce federal immigration laws.” Rafferty says that if a school voluntarily chooses to defy federal laws and refuses to assist in enforcing them, then the state will refuse to assist them with Commonwealth funding.
