Kentucky Senate passes bill to allow local districts to hire armed ‘guardians’ in schools

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A bill meant to bolster school safety by allowing school districts to hire retired law officers or military veterans to work as armed guardians won passage in the Kentucky Senate on Tuesday.

The measure is the latest attempt by Kentucky lawmakers to augment school security since the tragic 2018 shooting at Marshall County High School in western Kentucky, where two students were killed and more than a dozen others were injured when another student opened fire.

The bill cleared the GOP-led Senate on a 28-10 vote and goes to the House. The proposal, sponsored by Republican Sen. Max Wise, is designated as Senate Bill 2 — reflecting its priority status in the Senate.

The Senate passed another bill that would allow Kentucky voters to choose who serves on the state’s board of education. The measure would strip governors of the authority to select most board members.

The school safety bill would allow local school boards to hire and assign guardians at schools. Their hiring would be optional for local boards. Districts could employ as many guardians as administrators deem necessary. The guardian program would begin in the 2025-26 school year if the bill becomes law.

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