A proposal to allow Arkansas school districts to arm non-classroom employees as volunteer security guards has failed to win enough support to be considered by the state Senate.
The Senate voted 19-2 for a resolution allowing the bill by Republican Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson to be introduced. The measure needed at least 24 votes to be considered during the fiscal session, intended to focus on budget issues.
Hutchinson's proposal would have allowed the state to issue security guard licenses to non-classroom employees who go through training.
A state board in September voted to allow 13 school districts to continue using teachers, administrators and other staff as armed guards for two more years, despite a warning from the attorney general that the licensing law they relied upon was intended for private businesses.
