Sen. Rick Scott this week noted that his push to protect schools through a national school resource officer program is gaining support from national law enforcement groups.
The Florida Republican noted in a recent press release that his School Guardian Act, filed last month, was endorsed by the National Association of School Resource Officers and the National Sheriffs’ Association.
Several regional organizations also support the measure. They include the Florida Sheriffs Association, the Florida Police Chiefs Association, the Florida Association of School Resource Officers, the Indiana Sheriffs’ Association, and the Pennsylvania Association of School Resource Officers.
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As The Free Press has reported, Scott’s bill would create a block-grant program within the Justice Department so school districts could access federal funding to add armed law enforcement personnel at all schools, public and private.
To pay for the program, Scott has called for rerouting the $80 billion that President Joe Biden got in the Inflation Reduction Act to hire 87,000 new IRS agents.
Scott filed the measure after a school shooting in Nashville, in which a biological woman identifying as a man murdered six people, including three children.
As Scott said at the time, that massacre “of innocent children and educators in Nashville showed us that we need to do better to keep our schools safe, and that starts by bringing effective ideas like [Florida’s] Guardian Program to every school across our nation. These brave individuals are willing and able to step up and protect our kids and teachers from those who wish to do them harm.”
“Instead of spending billions of dollars to expand the IRS to go after American taxpayers,” he added, “Washington can send a powerful message to parents about our true priorities by dedicating these funds to the School Guardian Act to provide block grants to states so they can increase school security at every school and keep kids safe.”
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In the release this week, Scott’s office noted that his bill builds on his efforts as governor of Florida to improve school safety with increased law enforcement and security measures following the horrific shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.
Supporters of Scott’s bill include Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast and Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis, current president of the Florida Sheriffs Association.
In a statement, Nienhuis said, “Senator Scott brought statewide law enforcement leaders together to develop historic school safety policy in record time after the tragic Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting that rocked our nation. … Florida’s sheriffs are proud that he is bringing strong school safety legislation to the entire nation with the School Guardian Act.”
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