With student protesters en route to Tallahassee, state lawmakers postponed consideration of a bill Wednesday that would allow teachers to be armed.
The bill was scheduled to be debated this afternoon in the Florida House.
The protests were not a factor in the decision to delay the matter, said Fred Piccolo, a spokesman for House Speaker Jose Oliva
“The presence of the students unequivocally I can say had nothing to do with the postponement,” he said.
Instead there was a difference in opinion between the House and the Senate on how to align the policy with the budget, Piccolo said.
The speaker is confident those issues will be resolved, he said.
Even with the postponement, a rally is planned for 4 p.m. at the Capitol, said Serena Rodrigues, one the organizers. Students will also try to meet with state senators to voice their concerns, she said.
Buses of students are arriving from Orlando, Tampa and Miami.
House Democrats filed numerous amendments seeking to remove teachers from the list of school employees who could be armed.
“Huge education bills HB 7075 & HB 7093 (arming teachers) scheduled for the floor today have been temporarily postponed in the Florida House of Representatives!!!.” state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, tweeted. “What’s going on here?”
Opponents to the legislation have created a website and launched ads criticizing the proposal.
Supporters, though, say allowing teachers to carry guns would make schools safer when most mass shootings are over in a matter of minutes.
The proposal would expand the state’s Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program created in the wake of the Parkland shooting.
Named for an assistant football coach killed in the massacre, the program allows non-instructional employees to carry guns if they undergo training and pass a psychological evaluation.
Last year, state lawmakers opted not to include most classroom teachers on the list of school employees authorized to carry weapons.
The state commission investigating the Parkland shooting recommended in December expanding the program to include teachers.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
sswisher@sunsentinel.com, 561-243-6634 or @SkylerSwisher