The Alabama Legislature has authorized city and county school systems to hire armed security officers to protect students.
The Senate voted 21-0 Monday to go along with changes the House made to a school security bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Dick Brewbaker of Montgomery. The bill now goes to the governor for review.
Some schools now have officers supplied by their local police department or sheriff's department. But Brewbaker's bill allows school system to use their money to hire their own armed officers who have police training or hire trained officers through their local law enforcement agencies.
The bill was recommended by a legislative committee that reviewed school safety procedures after the killings at Sandy Hook school in Connecticut.
