Gov. Hobbs is calling on lawmakers to beef up security for all K-12 students, including fingerprint background checks for teachers and staff at private schools.
3TV/CBS 5
Gov. Katie Hobbs is calling on lawmakers to beef up security for all K-12 students.
Specifically, she wants a new law mandating private schools to conduct fingerprint background checks on their teachers and staff. “Now is the time to advocate for accountability and for transparency, not a blank check,” Gov. Hobbs said in her State of the State address on Monday.
Tighter security screening is a key part of the governor’s plan to regulate the school voucher program, where parents can send their kids to private schools with taxpayer money.
House Speaker Ben Toma said most of the governor’s proposals to add more oversight on how voucher money is spent were dead on arrival, but he was open to background checks. “I think if we want to have a debate about having fingerprint clearance cards for any private school, that’s something that I’m willing to look at, and I’m good with that,” said Toma.
