With school starting soon around the country, new attention is being focused on keeping kids safe after a spate of shootings over the past year.
There have been calls for more armed guards in schools — and armed teachers, as well as pushback to the notion that more guns in schools will keep children safe.
States are taking different approaches. New York’s Democratic governor, Andrew M. Cuomo, just signed a bill forbidding school districts from allowing teachers and administrators to carry guns.
Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, has supported the arming of teachers. Last year, the state legislature passed a law requiring schools to have armed guards, and this year DeSantis signed a law permitting teachers and other adults in school buildings to carry guns.
Concerned that school districts weren’t moving fast enough to implement the laws, DeSantis convened a grand jury to investigate. It just released an interim report saying some of them weren’t, but didn’t name which ones.
Meanwhile, bulletproof or bullet-resistant backpacks seem to be a big hit at stores around the country.
Here’s what’s happening in tweets and links to stories about these issues:
Florida passed a law this year allowing school districts to arm teachers who undergo training. New York is doing the opposite and banning teachers from carrying guns. https://t.co/E3voJ23Czi
— Skyler Swisher (@SkylerSwisher) August 1, 2019
New York's governor barred local school districts from allowing teachers and administrators to carry guns on school grounds https://t.co/JQOddWtzYh
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 1, 2019
This is our sad reality. #BooksNotBullets #EndGunViolence https://t.co/pr1QIcWGcM
— AFT (@AFTunion) August 2, 2019
Bullet-resistant school backpacks now sold in-store and online at major retailers https://t.co/HLRlRTg3pT pic.twitter.com/zFW42j2cI3
— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) August 1, 2019
So, I just found out bullet proof backpacks as a #BackToSchool2019 trend, and #ThisIsAmerica. pic.twitter.com/JtGujnGcP8
— Dan (@coffeeforthewin) August 1, 2019
How disgusting is this? #BackToSchool2019 pic.twitter.com/pUDDaEPePi
— igorvolsky (@igorvolsky) July 30, 2019