Virginia’s House has approved a bill designed to prevent school shootings, and state senators begin debating the measure today. Sponsored by Fredericksburg Delegate Mark Cole, it allows local school boards to arm security officers with batons, pepper spray and stun guns.
“These are school employees. They are not law enforcement officers. They don’t have training to use batons, stun weapons and spray devices.”
That’s Jeree Thomas, an attorney with the Legal Aid Justice Center’s Just Children program. She cites a Norfolk-area school where students were attacked by staff.
“Over 30 students experienced being pepper sprayed during a food fight and had to receive medical assistance after that.”
Thomas says it’s ironic that lawmakers who earlier this session imposed limits on how schools deal with disruptive kids could also approve this bill.
“There was incredible support for the regulation of seclusion and restraint, because the legislators heard these horror stories of kids being secluded and restrained and those practices being misused against kids. You have the same potential here but with weapons.”
She’ll warn a senate subcommittee today that school boards could be subject to lawsuits if security officers use weapons against students.
