Senate Bill 8, mandating that all school resource officers be armed, has passed the General Assembly and is on Governor Beshear’s desk. A number of activist groups are calling on the governor to veto the bill and send it back to the legislature for changes.
On Thursday, the groups held a press conference in the Capitol rotunda, then delivered a letter signed by fourteen organizations and several community leaders to Dorsey Ridley, the governor’s director of legislative services. (The letter is included at the bottom of this story.)
SB 8 requires that every school resource officer, both high school and elementary, carry a firearm, whether or not the local school board wants them to. It also requires the local school system to bear the cost of training and equipment, as the bill does not include funding.
Critics of the bill say that makes it an unfunded mandate, as well as a removal of local control of schools, both of which lawmakers have decried in the past.
And, the bill prioritizes a police presence in the schools, even while trauma-informed counselors and mental health professionals remain unfunded.
The Kentucky Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression is leading the effort to get the bill vetoed, with the support of numerous other groups. Gay Adelmann and K.A. Owens led the press conference on Thursday, then delivered the letter to Ridley.
Advocates are urging citizens to call the governor’s message line at 844-844-VETO (844-844-8386) and leave a message asking the governor to veto the bill.
Here are the groups and individuals calling for the veto of SB8:
|
|
Resources
–30–