May 20, 2013
ATLANTA (AP) -- A state lawmaker is proposing a bill to allow school systems to choose whether principals should be allowed to carry concealed weapons.
WSB-TV reports (http://bit.ly/REAfTN ) the proposal by Republican State Rep. Paul Battles from Bartow County is the latest in a series of gun-related measures the General Assembly will consider after the school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
Battles told the television station it makes sense to allow districts to decide whether principals should be armed since not every district has the money to hire school resource officers.
The Georgia Association of Educators has said it will lobby against the proposal. The organization's president, Calvine Rollins, says instead of paying for school resource officers, districts would then have to pay for six-week training courses and yearly refresher sessions.
