LITTLE ROCK (AP) — An Arkansas safety panel has endorsed recommendations that favor arming school district employees who volunteer to undergo training and psychological testing.
The Arkansas School Safety Commission on Monday accepted its law-enforcement subcommittee’s proposed strategy of using “commissioned school security officers” for inclusion in recommendations to Gov. Asa Hutchinson later this month, the AP reports.
The commission also accepted the proposed expanded use of school resource officers, who are armed law enforcement officers assigned to school campuses.
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America has vocally opposed arming Arkansas school employees in the past. The organization’s members declined to immediately comment Monday on the commission’s votes.
Hutchinson appointed the 18-member commission earlier this year after the Feb. 14 school shooting that left 17 dead in Parkland, Florida.
Some school districts in Arkansas already allow armed faculty and staff on school campuses, click here for more information.
