Lawmakers and activists said a Georgia bill aimed at keeping schools safe in response to mass shootings across the country could result in more minority students going to prison, and they urged Republican Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday to veto it.
The critics, who delivered a petition to the governor’s office, said the bill’s vague language requiring schools to report suspicious incidents to authorities could lead to racial profiling and overpolicing.
“This bill will take something as simple as a schoolyard fight and turn it into, potentially, a criminal record,” said Democratic Rep. Renitta Shannon of Decatur. Shannon said it would be better to focus on common-sense gun control and add more counselors in schools.
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