TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 1421, which takes measures to improve school safety in Florida.

The governor's office said the bill was built on legislation over the last three years to implement the recommendations of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission. That group was formed after the February 2018 mass shooting in Parkland.

“Every child needs a safe and secure learning environment,” DeSantis said. “By signing HB 1421, we continue to build on the many steps we have taken since 2019 to implement the recommendations of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission, while also making record investments in mental health and school safety.”

“This legislation is a huge leap forward in school safety,” said State Board of Education Member Ryan Petty. "Nothing is more important than providing safe and secure learning environments for our children and educators. 

The bill:

• Extends the sunset of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission; 

• Authorizes the Commissioner of Education to enforce, rather than just oversee, school safety and security compliance;

• Authorizes safe school officers to make arrests on charter school property;

• Requires all safe school officers to complete crisis intervention and training to improve knowledge and skills for response and de-escalate incidents on school premises;

• Requires law enforcement officers to be present and involved in active assailant emergency drills; 

• Requires school boards to adopt family reunification plans in the event of an evacuation; and

• Requires that school districts must annually certify that at least 80 percent of school personnel have received mandatory youth mental health awareness training.

Since 2019, DeSantis's office says he has prioritized school safety and mental health funding in Florida and has increased the amount of funding for these initiatives every year he has been in office.