Bill to allow armed school employees passes committee
A proposal to let schools arm volunteer “sentinels” to protect against threats is on its way to the South Dakota Senate.
The school sentinels bill, House Bill 1087, passed a key Senate committee 5-4 Friday, and needs only approval from the Senate to head to Gov. Dennis Daugaard to be signed into law.
Under the proposal, school boards could vote to arm sentinels provided local law enforcement approved and the sentinels underwent training with the state.
Rural schools, located far from local law enforcement and without police resource officers, want the proposal’s flexibility, advocates said.
“If we think we’re immune in South Dakota from school violence, we should probably think again,” said Sen. Craig Tieszen, R-Rapid City. “Our local school officials and local school boards need to be making a decision about the security of their schools.” (Argus Leader, 02/22/2013)