If there is one thing that we know about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, it is that he doesn’t much care for wasting time.
For instance, the Sunshine State lawmaker has already sprung into action in the wake of the horrific massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, signing into a law a wide-ranging bill that aims to prevent the next such incident from occurring in Florida.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill aimed at improving school safety in Florida following the Uvalde, Texas school shooting that left 21 people dead.
The bill, known as HB 1421, takes several steps to prevent school shootings in the future including requiring school safety officers to make complete crisis intervention training, allowing school safety officers to make arrests on charter school property and requiring school districts annually certify that 80% of school personnel have received youth mental health awareness training.
“Every child needs a safe and secure learning environment,” DeSantis said in a press release. “By signing HB 1421, we continue to build on the many steps we have taken since 2019 to implement the recommendations of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission, while also making record investments in mental health and school safety.”
Those in the educational field were thrilled with the moves.
“This legislation is a huge leap forward in school safety,” said State Board of Education Member Ryan Petty, who lost a child in the Parkland shooting, said. “I want to thank Governor DeSantis for his bold leadership on this most fundamental issue. Nothing is more important than providing safe and secure learning environments for our children and educators. Extending the Commission’s work and requiring mental health and de-escalation training for safe-school officers will make a major difference in mitigating the risk of a future tragedy.”
DeSantis has been a rising star within the GOP in recent months, and many are beginning to publicly wonder if he’ll make a run for the White House in 2024.
For his part, the Florida Governor has been coy about that possibility.
