Rick Scott signs bill strengthening school safety into law

Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation that increases money for school security following the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

On March 9, Scott signed CS/SB 7026, also known as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, into law. In addition to new restrictions for gun purchases, the measure creates a new Office of School Security, allocates funding for more school resource officers, supports additional mental health counselors, and creates a program that would allow teachers to be armed with training.

PolitiFact has been updating Scott's campaign promise to increase school security funding. In 2014, Scott promised to increase funding from $10 million to $74 million. In June 2017, we rated this Promise Broken after he signed a budget that gave $64.5 million to the allocation, the same as the year before.

The bill he signed in March sets aside $97.5 million in addition to the continued $64.5 million allocation in the 2018-19 budget. That brings each district's total minimum share to $250,000.

Money will be divided to districts based on student enrollment. The bill states that districts must use the money only to hire school resource officers.

Kerri Wyland, a Scott spokeswoman, wrote in an email that the bill provides $162 million for school officers and requires one at each school in the state.

Outside of resource officers, the bill sets aside about $99 million to update school infrastructure, including metal detectors, bulletproof glass and upgraded locks. About $75 million is meant for to support mental health services, like counselors for students.

Based on the increase in the Safe Schools Allocation fund and the other investments into school security spending, we rate this a Promise Kept.