South Florida lawmaker Dan Danely proposed on Dec. 13 to add active shooter training to the list of requirements needed to obtain a teaching certificate. If passed, new teachers would be required to finish the training before they get their teaching license, and existing teachers would have to take the training to renew their license.
The program would teach instructors how to barricade doors against intruders, administer first aid, organize classroom layouts, and watch for warning signs to prevent and mitigate the impact of a shooting.
PPCHS teachers have many thoughts on this proposed bill. For instance, AICE Literature teacher Mrs. Koch feels a little worried. “This just adds more responsibility on the teacher. I personally love my job, but who would want to become a teacher with all these requirements you need to fulfill?”
When initially proposed in December, the bill got a lot of pushback by teachers. In response, Rep. Dan Daley, who proposed the bill, stated, “I get [it]. But the most important job of government is to keep our kids safe, so this is a priority. It’s a step in the right direction.”
Charter junior Angelika Campos agrees with Daley’s statements. “I would rather have a teacher who knows what they are doing compared to a teacher who wouldn’t know what to do. However, the stress it would put on the teacher being responsible for the 30 plus kids must be high,” she explains.
Florida has seen at least 32 school shootings since 2008. This bill has yet to be passed, leaving many to wonder how it will affect the future of school safety.
