A lawsuit was filed Tuesday January 15, 2019 in Lee County Circuit Court against state justice officials that ruled against a plan that would allow public school teachers to be armed for security purposes.
The suit is in response to a final agency action that the Department of Criminal Justice Services rendered in August that quashed a proposal to make Superintendent of Schools Brian Austin a conservator of the peace, giving him the authority to have select personnel at schools to carry firearms.
“It is important for the members of our community to know that keeping the children in our schools safe is a top priority for every member of the school board,” said Debbie Jessee, Lee County School Board Chairman in the official statement. “This lawsuit is intended to simply allow our school board to proceed to use another important option in keeping our children safe.”
Attorney General Mark Herring issued the opinion in August that five previous attempts by school systems in the state to arm teachers had failed. He also cited state law that prohibits anyone except designated law enforcement personnel to carry guns onto school property.