Florida lawmakers to tackle school troubles with door lock law
Even before the law took effect in the fall, Florida school district leaders had strong worries that they wouldn’t be able to handle the requirement that all doors and gates be locked or staffed whenever students are present on campus.
As they implemented the rule, they quickly saw how problematic it was. By December, officials were saying a fix to the law was among their top priorities for the coming legislative session.
State Sen. Danny Burgess, chairman of the Senate PreK-12 Education Budget Committee, filed a bill (SB 1470) Wednesday to address some of the concerns. The measure would modify the times when the access points must be locked or staffed to “school supervision hours.”
That would take away the troubles schools have faced during before- and after-school programs, when fewer employees are on campus yet students regularly come and go.
Burgess also would allow for gates and doors to remain open during the school supervision hours if another closed and locked gate or access point separates the open one from areas occupied by students. Such a change would allow for freer movement inside the campus, while still preventing intruders from wandering into the student areas.
The House version has not been filed, but education lobbyists have said they anticipate this legislation or something close to it will move through the session to the governor.
Florida lawmakers to tackle school troubles with door lock law