KJZZ is a service of Rio Salado College,
and Maricopa Community Colleges

Copyright © 2025 KJZZ/Rio Salado College/MCCCD
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Republicans propose bills to put more police officers, guns on Arizona school campuses

School resource officer parking space
Mariana Dale/KJZZ

Republican lawmakers in the state House of Representatives advanced two bills they say will improve safety on Arizona’s school campuses.

The House Education Committee on Tuesday approved House Bill 2074, legislation that expands the ways schools can use school safety grants distributed by the Arizona Department of Education.

The last state budget allocated nearly $82 million for the School Safety Program to provide grants to pay for school resource officers, counselors and social workers on campus. But state Superintendent Tom Horne said in 2023 that a shortage of police officers in local departments means there aren’t enough SROs available to meet the needs of every school in the state.

The new bill would expand the definition of school resource officer to include retired cops who “retired in good standing.” It would also allow the grant money to pay for so-called “school safety officers,” or off-duty police working on campus in their spare time.

Rep. Matt Gress (R-Phoenix), the committee chairman who sponsored the bill, said it will also allow schools to use the money to pay for safety technology or training if they cannot find an available officer.

“We don't want this money sitting in a school or in our state's bank account,” Gress said. “We want this money going out and protecting kids, so this provides that alternative pathway.”

Gress said the bill is based on legislative changes sought by Horne’s school safety task force, which made a slew of recommendations in 2023.

Democrats who opposed the bill said the money should also be used to improve mental health services at schools by adding more counselors and social workers. The American School Counselor Association recommends a 250:1 student-counselor ratio, but reported that Arizona schools had a 645:1 ratio in 2024 — the worst ratio in the nation.

“I think there is plenty of funding to take into account taking care of mental health and preventing these issues before they come about,” Rep. Stephanie Simacek (D-Phoenix) said.

Gress said the existing School Safety grants already pay for counselors and argued there simply aren’t enough mental health professionals available to work at schools.

“So we could, you know, talk about increasing funding for school counselors, but you wouldn't be able to hire them because they don't exist,” Gress said.

HB 2074 would also require public schools receiving the money and charter schools to develop emergency response plans that follow standards developed by the Department of Education and the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs.

Gress’ bill also revives former Democratic lawmaker Laura Terech’s bill that would exempt school blueprints and floor plans from the state’s public records law, meaning the public would not have a right to obtain copies of those documents.

Only one Democrat, Rep. Lydia Hernandez (D-Phoenix), voted for the proposal, though she, too, expressed concerns that it didn’t do more to address mental health.

“This is like an ‘ahhh’ moment for me, because I recently participated in a few community meetings with the police department and our community members,” Hernandez, a school board member, said. “And our community members were very clear on — Maryvale being what it is and also in Glendale — how important it was for them to feel safe in our communities.”

Republicans advanced a second piece of legislation to allow trained teachers and school staff to carry guns on campus in the face of unified Democratic opposition.

State law already allows school employees to carry a gun on campus “in a program approved by a school.” The law gives little specification or detail on who within a school or district can give that approval.

Under Rep. Selena Bliss (R-Prescott)’s HB 2022, schools could adopt policies to allow teachers or other employees to carry a firearm on campus if that employee meets training and certification processes required by the proposed law.

The law requires the Arizona Department of Education to work with the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board — the body that oversees certification of police and correctional officers — to develop a set of standards “that meet or exceed the uniform standards established by AZPOST.”

“This bill proposes a comprehensive approach to enhance school safety through rigorous training, emergency preparedness and strategic crisis response,” Bliss said. “This legislation acknowledges the vital role schools employees play in ensuring student safety and empowers them with the tools, training and legal parameters and protections necessary to respond effectively to crises.”

Democrats said they’re concerned that putting guns on campus could create confusion when police respond to an active shooter situation.

“How do they know who the good guy with the gun is and who is the one that is the problem with the gun?” Rep. Nancy Gutierrez (D-Tucson) said.

The bill does require schools to notify local law enforcement of how many employees are authorized to carry a gun on campus. But Gutierrez, a teacher, said that it could still be difficult for law enforcement to identify those authorized employees during a high-stress situation, especially at a large school like the Tucson high school where she works.

“Even if they have a list of names of teachers, I don't even know who all the teachers are at my school,” Gutierrez said. “There are 140 of us teachers, not to mention para-pros and school professionals; there are probably a minimum of 250 staff on school property.”

Gress pointed out that state law already allows schools to permit employees to carry guns on campus and said the new bill adds needed training requirements. He said currently “there are no guardrails.”

Deer Valley Unified School District Superintendent Curt Finch told lawmakers that Bliss’ bill was the “wrong approach.”

He said active shooters should be dealt with by professional police and first responders and that teachers should remain in classrooms with students, following a school’s safety plan for lockdown or shelter in place situations.

Wayne Schutsky is a broadcast field correspondent covering Arizona politics on KJZZ. He has over a decade of experience as a journalist reporting on local communities in Arizona and the state Capitol.