Florida GOP Rep. Gus Bilirakis is pushing legislation to make it easier for schools to hire security personnel in the wake of last year’s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, ABC Actions News reported Monday.
The bill, called the PROTECT KIDS Act (an acronym for Promoting Resource Officers Together for Exceptionally Critical Targets with Key Investments in Districts and Schools) would set aside $250 million for school districts to hire School Resource Officers, with priority given to the largest school districts.
“Just last year, SROs prevented or intervened in school shootings in Maryland, Illinois, Texas, and even my home state of Florida. Unfortunately, many school districts are lacking the financial resources to implement the advised minimum standards, which is very troubling. There is nothing more precious and important than the well-being of our children, and I remain committed to securing the funding needed to ensure school safety,” Bilirakis said in a press release.
After the Parkland shooting, Bilirakis said he met with local superintendents and law enforcement who explained to him the “single most important thing” he could do to improve school safety was “to help them secure funding to hire more certified law enforcement officers as SROs.”
Critics, including some parents, maintain the funds would not target the problem of mental health or say one SRO in a school could not stop a person determined to do harm.
Bilirakis first introduced the PROTECT KIDS Act in the House in July 2018, but the proposed legislation died after Congress adjourned.
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