The Iowa Senate has passed a bill giving schools some legal protection if staff with a professional gun permit volunteer to respond to a shooting on school grounds.
According to Senator Dave Rowley, a Republican from Spirit Lake, 20 Iowa school districts have expressed interest in having policies that allow staff to be armed.
“In 2001 there were 30 school shootings compared to 327 school shootings in 2023. It is a trend, my colleagues, that is not going away,” Rowley said. “This bill provides an option for school districts.”
Republican Senator Lynn Evans of Aurelia, a retired superintendent, said parents want school officials to explore every option — including this one — to keep students safe. “We live a pretty comfortable, safe life in Iowa. It only takes seconds for that comfortable life to be taken away,” Evans said. “I get a pit in my stomach just thinking about, talking about this issue.”
The bill passed with the support of 30 Republican senators and opposition from 14 Democrats. If the bill becomes law, school staff who volunteer to seek a professional permit to undergo training, including how to respond to an active shooter. Senator Sarah Trone-Garriott, a Democrat from Waukee, said the required training is not rigorous enough.
“This bill asks me to put my child’s life into someone else’s hands, but says that person doesn’t have to put in the work to ensure they are up to the task,” Trone-Garriott said. “This is terrifying.”
Senator Molly Donahue, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids who’s a teacher, said the legislature should be taking other kinds of steps to protect students. “We could be investing far more funding in mental health resources…to identify the supports for students who may pose a risk to themselves or others,” Donahue said. “We could be funding enhanced training for staff on emergency procedures, crisis intervention and threat recognition.”
The bill won approval in the Iowa House weeks ago, but Senate Republicans removed a section of the bill that would have established state grants for schools that hire private security or police to patrol school buildings. The bill, which goes back to the House for review, still requires Iowa’s largest school districts to have a police officer or private security guard inside each high school building.