TEXAS - A State Representative is making national headlines after he filed a bill to protect Texas teachers and it's raising a few eyebrows. The Teacher Protection Act would allow educators to use excessive, possibly even deadly force against students.
Rep. Dan Flynn, the State Representative that filed the bill, said, "The Teacher Protection Act is a very simple bill, it has nothing to do with guns. But we do want to try to give the teachers a level of confidence that in the event they're attacked in the classroom they can at least try to protect themselves."
The bill suggests that an educator would be able to use force against a student on school property, school buses or at a school-sponsored event, only in self-defense or to defend the safety of other students.
A concerned parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said, "I don't agree with it. I don't believe that they should be able to use deadly force against any kid, they just need to watch the kids more at the schools and maybe put security up in there to keep an eye on them."
State Representative Dan Flynn's proposal is in response to the numerous accounts that have happened in the country where students have assaulted their teachers and those teachers were afraid to defend themselves due to the fear of losing their jobs or being sued.
"If you take a young teacher or an older teacher, they walk in there, they're in a room by themselves. When I go and talk to teachers, those are the certain fears that they have," Flynn said.
The current law states that educators have the right to use force against students for self-defense. By passing this bill, it would automatically allow educators to use deadly force in the event that they have been assaulted.
"I don't think that they should be able to strike other kids, no, but hold them to restrain them, yeah, something like that," the concerned parent, said.
Many other parents may be concerned with this proposal but others believe that it is the responsibility of the parents to teach their kids to behave and respect their educators.
"Their obligation, or their desire, is to teach kids and they shouldn't have to worry about any other fears," Flynn said.
