Latest news with #PrivateSchoolSecurityAct
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Area legislator backs allowing guns at private schools
DAVIDSON COUNTY — A bill sponsored by an area legislator that would allow trained security personnel to carry guns at K-12 private schools advanced this week in the N.C. General Assembly. Senate Bill 280, titled the Private School Security Act, passed the state Senate Wednesday and now awaits consideration in the House. Thursday was the deadline for legislation to be approved by at least one house of the General Assembly in order to remain alive for the current session. Sen. Steve Jarvis, R-Davidson, a primary sponsor, said the bill would enhance safety for private school students and staff. 'Senate Bill 280 ensures private schools can protect their communities while upholding strict safety standards,' he said. 'Every child deserves a safe place to learn.' Jarvis said that safeguards would be put into place, such as requiring personnel carrying guns to have a valid permit, a federal background check and annual firearms safety training. Schools would be required to maintain and communicate their safety procedures with parents yearly. The bill also would permit concealed carry of guns during worship services at private school-affiliated religious sites, Jarvis said. The legislation would fill a security void at K-12 private schools that's already addressed at public schools through publicly funded school resource officers, Jarvis told The High Point Enterprise. 'Public schools have public money that funds SROs,' he said. 'We did have some people say why not put SROs in private schools. I'd be fine with that, but where do you come up with the funding? We have a challenge getting SROs in all our public schools, and I wouldn't want to take any funding away from public to put it in private.' If Senate Bill 280 passes the General Assembly, the legislation would be sent to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein for his signature or veto. pjohnson@ | 336-888-3528 | @HPEpaul
American Military News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- American Military News
NC Senate votes to let private-school teachers carry guns
North Carolina lawmakers have now approved multiple bills to allow private school teachers to carry concealed handguns on campus. On Wednesday, the state Senate voted 29-18 to pass the Private School Security Act that sets conditions where private schools can authorize school employees and volunteers to carry handguns. Last week, the state House passed its own bill letting private schools give permission for people to carry concealed handguns on campus. The message repeated by Republican lawmakers who backed both bills is that the legislation could save lives if a school shooter shows up. 'This isn't a mandate,' said Sen. Steve Jarvis, a Davidson County Republican and one of the primary sponsors of Senate Bill 280. 'It's a choice for schools to decide what's best. Many private schools, especially in rural areas, face long law enforcement response times, making on-site protection critical.' Democratic senators unsuccessfully tried to amend the bill to limit who would be eligible to carry a gun on campus. The bill passed along party lines with all Republicans in support and all Democrats voting no. 'There are a number of limits that were run today that were unfortunately tabled,' said Senate Minority Leader Sydney Batch, a Wake County Democrat. 'I think that a number of the colleagues in my caucus would have supported passing this bill because we care about children that are in all of our schools, private or public.' The passage of similar bills increases the chances one will be approved this session by both chambers. The legislation comes amid anxiety over school shootings. There have been six K-12 school shootings resulting in injuries or death so far this year and 227 school shootings since 2018, according to a tracker maintained by Education Week. Some lawmakers have cited the March 2023 mass shooting at a Christian private school in Nashville, Tennessee, where a former student killed three teachers and three students. 'This isn't about arming everyone,' Jarvis said. 'It's about equipping schools to deter threats while honoring parents' desire for safer schools.' But most teachers don't want guns in schools, according to Becky Ceartas, executive director of North Carolinians Against Gun Violence. She pointed to a 2018 Elon University poll that found 78% of North Carolina teachers were against arming teachers. Ceartas said the bills increase the risk of a tragedy from a student getting hold of a teacher's gun. She cited how in 2024 an elementary school student found a gun left in a bathroom by an employee at Faith Christian Academy in Goldsboro. 'How could they live with themselves if a private school teacher leaves their gun behind and a student handles it?' Ceartas said in an interview Wednesday with The News & Observer. 'That will be on lawmakers.' Under Senate Bill 280, an employee or volunteer at a private school can carry a handgun on campus if: —The person has written authorization from the school's board of trustees or the school's administrative director. —The person has a concealed handgun permit. —The person has completed an annual 8-hour training course on gun safety and the appropriate use of firearms. —The school adopts and maintains written standard operating procedures regarding this topic and distributes copies to parents of students attending the school. 'Only vetted, trained individuals chosen by the school leaders can carry it,' Jarvis said. 'It's local control, trusting schools and parents.' Republicans tabled several amendments from Democrats on Wednesday. An amendment to limit the ability to carry guns on campus to retired and current law enforcement officers and retired military members who were honorably discharged was tabled. 'I think that that is an extremely reasonable ask of this chamber to make sure that individuals actually who are trained to use guns can actually be there to protect the youngest and most vulnerable in our communities,' Batch said. An amendment to say private school employees would not be required to get a concealed carry permit as a condition of employment was rejected with no discussion. 'I think that we agree not everyone is comfortable with using a weapon, and particularly in a situation where they would be protecting our children,' said Sen. Val Applewhite, a Cumberland County Democrat. An amendment holding a person 'strictly liable' for injuries caused by firing a gun in school was also tabled. 'The good guy with the gun is responsible, doesn't leave it in the bathroom, doesn't leave it in his desk, doesn't let somebody else get a hold of it, and when they shoot it, they're sure of where they're shooting,' said Sen. Terence Everitt, a Granville County Democrat. ___ © 2025 The Charlotte Observer. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NC Senate approves 20 bills in final votes before crossover deadline
North Carolina Legislative Building (Photo: Clayton Henkel) The North Carolina Senate passed 20 bills Wednesday afternoon in its final series of votes prior to the General Assembly's Thursday crossover deadline, after which only bills that have passed at least one chamber can be considered. Among the higher profile measures approved were bills that would allow carrying concealed firearms in private schools, protect parents who do not affirm their child's trans identity, and provide financial support to farmers. The Senate also passed a pair of measures responding to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene, targeting the theft of mobile homes during states of emergency and relaxing requirements for flood repairs. And it approved a bill granting the Catawba Nation many of the same state-level rights afforded to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. These measures head to the House for further consideration. The Senate will return Thursday for a non-voting session as the House finishes its crossover business. Note: NC Newsline will publish a comprehensive rundown of House and Senate crossover week action on Friday. Lawmakers passed a proposal to authorize employees and volunteers at nonpublic K-12 schools to carry concealed firearms on educational property. Senate Bill 280, titled the 'Private School Security Act,' would allow school administrators to give consent to employees and volunteers to possess handguns and stun guns on school grounds, with written notice to parents. The individuals would need to acquire a concealed carry permit and complete additional training. The bill would also allow anyone with a permit to concealed carry firearms at religious ceremonies held on the grounds of private schools, including weddings, funerals, and worship services. It's one of many measures related to gun safety this session, a number of which seek to okay the possession of weapons and other self-defense implements in schools. 'The Private School Security Act is a voluntary solution to protect North Carolina's private school students in a world where threats demand actions,' said sponsor Sen. Steve Jarvis (R-Davidson). The chamber voted to pass a technical amendment to the bill and blocked four amendments proposed by Democratic senators, among them proposals to restrict the bill to veterans and current and former law enforcement officers and a provision that would prevent schools from making concealed carry permits mandatory for employment. Senators also rejected an amendment offered by Senate Democratic Leader Sydney Batch (D-Wake) that would have screened employees against a state 'Responsible Individuals List' that tracks adults found responsible for abuse and severe neglect, a proposal that had received a positive reception from the bill sponsors in committee. 'There are individuals who, if given the ability to have a gun, would then use that in very inappropriate ways,' said Batch, a child welfare attorney. She cited the case of a girl in middle school who she represented in court who was sexually abused by her teacher. 'If he had a gun, how much more dangerous would that have been?' Sen. Buck Newton (R-Greene, Wayne, Wilson), a lead sponsor of the bill, said the proposal was 'just not workable' because schools do not currently have access to the list. Batch responded that her proposed amendment would have granted schools access to the list. 'I think a number of the colleagues at least in my caucus would have supported passing this bill, because we care about the children that are in all of our schools, private or public,' she said. The Senate enacted a bill preventing parents and guardians who deny their trans child's gender identity from facing abuse or neglect designations. Senate Bill 442, dubbed the 'Parents Protection Act,' alters statutes concerning child abuse and neglect to specifically exclude conduct described as raising a child 'consistent with the juvenile's biological sex' and prevents adoptive parents from being screened based on whether they would deny their child gender-affirming care. 'It protects parents who care for their children without the threat of losing supervision over that child because the parent refuses to affirm the gender identity of a child who is experiencing gender dysphoria,' said Sen. Amy Galey (R-Alamance), the bill's lead sponsor. 'Second, the bill shields parents who refuse to affirm gender transitioning from prosecution.' Senators deleted a section of the bill that would have barred state agencies from considering whether prospective foster parents would affirm a trans child's identity, however, after the proposal proved controversial in committee. 'There were concerns raised about including children in the foster care situation in this bill. We acknowledge that the foster children are some of the most vulnerable people in the state, and we do not want to do anything that might make it difficult to place them,' Galey said. 'We may revisit this provision in the future.' The chamber rejected a pair of proposals by Sen. Lisa Grafstein (D-Wake) that would have extended the same protections to parents who validate their trans child's identity and banned gender conversion therapy, respectively. She cited Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's call for abuse investigations into parents who provide their children gender-affirming care as cause grounds for safeguarding their rights in North Carolina. 'The fact of being LGBTQ is just merely a fact, and it's inherently part of the human experience,' Grafstein said. 'Things that become abuse or neglect of their LGBTQ children or foster children, that must not be tolerated.' The chamber voted to approve a bill aiming to prevent what its sponsors characterize as discrimination in lending to farmers. Senate Bill 554 or the 'Farmers Protection Act' would bar banks and credit unions from denying loans to agriculture producers based on their lack of a commitment to ESG — environmental, social, and governance factors. Though sponsors provided no examples of North Carolina farmers who have been impacted by such practices, they argued that some lenders might condition loans based on whether a recipient is taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the use of fertilizer or fossil fuel powered machinery. The bill faced significant vetting in the Senate Judiciary and Agriculture Committees, according to primary sponsor Sen. Buck Newton. 'The bankers are neutral, so I know of no outright opposition to the bill,' Newton said. During a committee hearing for the House version of the bill, Mark Swallow from Democracy Out Loud testified that climate change would harm farmers more than financial discrimination, but lawmakers were not swayed.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Davidson representative sponsors bill to allow arming of private-school employees in North Carolina
A bill proposed in the North Carolina state senate would allow some private school employees and volunteers to carry firearms on campus, the Mooresville Tribune reports. The bill is titled 'Private School Security Act.' It is sponsored primarily by Republican Davidson Representative Steve Jarvis, alongside 13 Republican co-sponsors. Senate Bill 280 would allow those who were authorized by the school's board of trustees or school administrative director to carry a firearm or stun gun on private school campuses. READ: Charlotte representative files bill to legalize marijuana in North Carolina Those approved must have a concealed weapon permit and complete eight hours of gun safety coursework each year, the Mooresville Tribune reports. The bill would also allow these individuals to carry concealed weapons while attending a worship service or other religious functions if the campus serves both educational and religious purposes. Should the bill pass, it would go into effect on Dec. 1. WATCH: Mother pushes for stricter gun laws after son killed in Salisbury drive-by
