Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced the Alabama Sentry Program on Wednesday, allowing school administrators to possess a firearm on campus in a secured safe. The program is voluntary and only affects schools without a School Resource Officer (SRO).
Administrators who wish to partake in the program will undergo complete training and become certified by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Ivey’s announcement comes just five days after the last school shooting in America, which took place when two were injured in at Noblesville West Middle School in Indiana. The shooting was the 23rd of 2018.
Ivey said she believes that her program will provide “an additional security measure” and allow administrators to respond to an active shooter situation should one arise.
The plan is part of a larger movement to increase safety in Alabama schools. While the Governor’s SAFE Council recommended more SROs to begin the movement, Ivey claims there is no concrete plan to implement these officers schools. The Sentry Program stands as a way to provide protection in the upcoming school year before legislation involving SROs is passed.
We must take immediate action to address the real safety challenge facing schools w/o a school resource officer. That is why, today, I’m announcing the Alabama Sentry Program to provide an additional security measure in these schools—> https://t.co/swZlUIaiyP pic.twitter.com/SJbntTC0rC
— Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) May 30, 2018
Ivey’s program has received mixed reactions, with arguments over whether bringing more guns increases safety or the risk of gun violence. Although legislation to arm teachers did not pass in Alabama, the Alabama Association of School Boards supports Ivey’s current plan. Like the SAFE Council, they believe SROs are the most productive solution, but “arming school personnel…recognizes Ivey’s desire to move quickly to protect children.”
Outside of Alabama, however, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was outraged.
“This is the absolute worst idea imposed on students,” Bernard Simelton said. “The answer to stop gun violence is not to bring in more guns.”