Republican legislators in South Dakota on Thursday filed legislation that would authorize local school districts to determine whether or not to arm personnel, KELO-TV in Sioux Falls, S.D. reported.
Introduced by four representatives, the bill currently has 29 co-sponsors between the state House and Senate. If passed, it would give school boards the power to “create, establish, and supervise individual school sentinel programs to promote school safety.” Under the law, schools would be required to inform local law enforcement who has been armed but not parents or the general public.
The Argus Leader of Sioux Falls reported that the legislation was born out of two separate ideas by GOP House members following last month’s shooting in Newtown, Conn. One proposal was to create a school marshal system, while the other would have permitted school employees to carry concealed weapons on campus. The sides came together to craft the legislation that was filed Thursday, known as the “sentinels bill.”
