Kentucky Sen. Max Wise is seen on the opening day of the Kentucky State Legislature special session in Frankfort, Ky., Sept. 7, 2021. Wise is the sponsor of a bill meant to bolster school safety by allowing school districts to hire armed guardians. The bill won passage in the Kentucky Senate on March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)
"The school resource officer, though, is first and foremost the hiring goal that we want for our Kentucky public schools," Wise said during the Senate debate. "But the guardian is a well-measured approach that may fit a school district’s need."
Wise said the bill in no way waters down or removes any previous actions by the legislature to bolster school security in the wake of the Marshall County shooting.
Democratic Sen. Reginald Thomas said the bill won't resolve the core problems leading to gun violence.
"Rather than saying how can we deal with the gun problem that we have here in this state and in America, our answer is let’s put more guns in schools, not less," he said.
Those eligible to serve as guardians would include honorably discharged military veterans, retired state troopers, retired law enforcement officers and former federal agents.
Their preparation would include the first level of school resource officer training, as well as training on firearms proficiency and how to respond to active shooter situations. They would be allowed to carry concealed weapons on school grounds.
Opponents of the bill also raised concerns about the level of training for guardians.
Republican Sen. Stephen West, in supporting the bill, said time is crucial in active shooter situations.
"What it came down to for me is, would I rather have a trained, armed veteran on site ready to act or would I rather have a highly trained SRO or law enforcement officer five minutes away," he said. "That’s the choice we have."
Republican Sen. Whitney Westerfield said the focus should be on expanding the number of SROs.
"I regret that we’re doing this instead of appropriating the money for the districts to hire the SROs they need," he said. "I would like for us to do that."
Wise has expressed hope that additional funding to deploy school resource officers will be included in the next two-year state budget plan that lawmakers will finalize later in the legislative session.
The bill also includes mental health segments. It would increase suicide prevention awareness and training for teachers and students and expand the scope of student support. It would foster a team approach among school psychologists, social workers, school resource officers and mental health providers.
In other action Tuesday, the Senate passed a bill that would change the way members of the state Board of Education are selected. Instead of appointment by the governor with confirmation by the Senate, the board members would be elected by the voters.
The measure cleared the Senate on a 24-14 vote to advance to the House. Under the bill, two state school board members would be elected from each of the state's seven Supreme Court districts.
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"Senate Bill 8 gives the voters the chance to make important choices about who is making the broad policy decisions about the education of their children and all of Kentucky’s youth," said Republican Sen. Mike Wilson, the bill's lead sponsor.
Democratic Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong opposed the measure, saying there's no evidence that switching their selection to partisan elections would improve educational outcomes among students.
"I believe that party politics have no place in our Kentucky classrooms," she said.
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