Debate over armed school security training: advocates seek broader, locally delivered curriculum; advocates for students urge limits

State and local law enforcement and some school officials urged the Public Safety Committee to approve a bill that would broaden and modernize training options for armed school security officers, while advocacy groups for students and disabled individuals warned the committee the measure could expand armed roles in schools without clear accountability.

Officer Matthew Fauschian, a Burlington police officer assigned as a school resource officer, described practical limits in the current law that require security officers to take mandated training in Meriden at the post academy. He told the committee that allowing post‑approved curricula to be delivered at other locations and by post‑approved instructors would let districts train smaller, local teams with a focus tailored to school needs.

"There is no school to prison…