Читать книгу Essentials of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) - Donna Lord Black - Страница 51

In response to the February 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Senate Bill 7026 was adopted by the Florida legislature and signed into law by the governor of Florida in March 2018. Known as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act of 2018, this $400 million legislation contained provisions for mental health assistance allocations to schools, firearm safety measures, and school safety requirements. It required Florida schools to implement increased security efforts that included, among other things, hardening school properties, implementing a mobile device reporting tool, hiring school law officers, developing and implementing a behavioral threat assessment instrument, and developing and implementing a statewide threat assessment database. The legislation also authorized county sheriffs to voluntarily establish controversial guardian programs in schools. According to the Florida Department of Education (2020), guardians are “armed personnel who aid in the prevention or abatement of active assailant incidents on school premises. They are either school employees who volunteer to serve in addition to official job duties or personnel hired for the specific purpose of serving as a school guardian. Guardians must pass psychological and drug screenings, and successfully complete a minimum of 144 hours of training.”

The legislation also established the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, whose purpose was to investigate system failures in the Parkland school shooting and in previous mass violence incidents, then develop recommendations for system improvements. These recommendations were later brought to the Florida legislature in 2019 and led to the passage of Senate Bill 7030, which was designed to build on the original school safety act passed in 2018 and provide strengthening of accountability and compliance with the law. The bill included amendments to 17 sections of the original bill and expanded on the requirements for access to mental health supports in schools. It also included provisions for protecting school climate through restorative strategies and increased the involvement of school counselors in discipline policies and procedures. Other provisions in the law, however, continued to support the controversial guardian program, as well as the presence of law enforcement on campuses, further posing a risk for increased student arrests.

Following the enactment of these two school safety measures, most Florida schools complied, but some did not, prompting Florida’s governor to call for a grand jury to investigate noncompliance with the state laws. Following its investigation, it was determined there were numerous systemic issues preventing compliance, as well as funding issues. The grand jury also indicated there were some inefficiencies created by the law, specifically regarding the controversial guardian program, and recommended further clarification by the legislature. Another important recommendation was that the Florida Department of Education be authorized to monitor school districts and enforce compliance with school safety laws passed by the legislature.

Following the recommendations of the grand jury, a third school safety bill, Senate Bill 7065, was proposed to the legislature, but it failed to pass (Florida Senate, 2020).