Baltimore Unanimously Votes Against Armed Police in Schools
Following national debate on the topic of armed police in schools, the Baltimore school district has voted against implementing the practice.
Tonight, the public schools of the city of Baltimore voted 10-0 against House Bill 31. This bill would allow armed police in schools. The topic of school safety and firearms became a hot one after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14th of last year. Students were allowed to speak at the school board meeting expressing their concerns.
Current Baltimore policy allows police officers to be armed as long as they are outside. When inside of schools, the 90 officers assigned to the school district must not have weapons out.
This is not the first time that such a proposal has come up in Baltimore. In 2015, the school board asked the city to allow armed police in schools. However, this mortified many parents. Some believed that this process would harm minority students.
The bill is now dead. As a result, police officers will have to lock their weapons in safes during the school day, keeping in line with existing policy.
