Lawmakers mull school security measures

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WALA) - Florida lawmakers are looking at a wide range of options for improving school safety including bulletproof glass as well as more guidance counselors and teacher training to prevent problems before they occur.

They also are considering putting more police officers in Florida's schools and asking the federal government to contribute more to school security expenses.

Those were some of the ideas that members of a Senate budget committee discussed Wednesday after hearing from a panel of local school officials in response to the shooting that killed 20 students and six adults at a Connecticut elementary school.

The state currently allocates $64.5 million to school safety while the federal government chips in only $1.25 million.

Sixty-five percent of the state funding, or $42.2 million, is being spent on school resource officers.