Guns, Locks, and Little Learners: Breaking Down Florida’s New Safety Law

by Janifar Kamal

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed Senate Bill 1470 (Chapter 2025-58), extending certain school-safety requirements to licensed early childhood education programs (Florida Legislature, 2025). 

The following information is provided for your educational awareness. It does not constitute legal advice or an endorsement of any specific policy or regulatory scheme. The mission of the Institute for Childhood Preparedness is to ensure providers are informed and prepared.

This legislation goes into effect on July 1, 2025, and includes two headline-making changes:

1. Expanding Florida’s armed guardian program to include child care staff

2. Revising door-locking and safety protocols for all educational settings

   
   

Child Care Workers Can Now Train to Carry Guns

The law formally expands the Chris Hixon, Coach Aaron Feis, and Coach Scott Beigel Guardian Program, created after the Parkland school shooting in 2018, to cover licensed child care facilities (Florida Phoenix, 2025b). 

• Voluntary program: Child care educators can choose to participate.

• Training requirements: Participants must complete 144 hours of training, which includes:

  • At least 80 hours of firearms instruction 

  • Simulated shooting and active assailant scenarios

  • Legal, de-escalation, and defensive tactics

  • Psychological evaluation and drug screening

• Who pays? 

• Participating centers are responsible for training and screening costs. Local sheriffs may waive administrative fees for programs they oversee. 

• However, private security agency fees are not waived. 

Once certified, participants may serve as armed guardians during active assailant incidents, but do not carry general law enforcement authority.

New Door Locking and Safety Rules for Classrooms

Alongside the guardian expansion, the bill introduces new statewide safety mandates, including:

• Temporary door locks are now allowed in classrooms, must comply with fire codes, and allow quick removal.

• Locking time frame extended: Doors and access points must remain locked from 30 minutes before until 30 minutes after school hours.

• Exemptions exist for career and technical education classrooms when locking would endanger student safety.

• Shelter-in-place zones: Classrooms must mark safe zones where students should go during emergencies.

Schools and child care centers that fail to comply with reporting or safety requirements may face restrictions on operating guardian programs in future school years (Florida Phoenix, 2025a). 

Statewide System & Threat Management Updates

The law also moves Florida toward a centralized emergency response system, including:

• A statewide panic alert system integrated with digital school maps and emergency services

• Required sharing of school safety protocols with substitute teachers

• A state-run Threat Management Portal that digitizes behavioral risk assessments, tracking, and response plans for students who may pose a threat

  
  

From High School to Preschool: Notable Policy Expansion 

Allowing child care educators to carry firearms represents a profound shift in how states define "preparedness" in early childhood settings. While some see this move as empowering staff to protect children during worst-case scenarios, there are some key questions that the  providers are asking-

• How will programs balance nurturing environments with new security measures?

• What additional training or support will educators need?

• How might families respond?

  
  

Simultaneously: New Door Locking Rules

Also included in SB 1470 are updates to classroom door-locking regulations, an issue that gained traction after law enforcement officials flagged ambiguities in previous policies. Florida sheriffs, including Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, expressed concern that the 2024 law could inadvertently restrict officers or create safety loopholes. While these changes are meant to strike a balance between security and practicality, they also add additional requirements to existing safety procedures, especially for nontraditional educational environments like preschools and child care centers.

What This Means for Early Childhood Providers

The expansion of the guardian program and the updated lock protocols both reflect a state-level commitment to physical security. But for early childhood educators, these changes may create tension between policies designed for K-12 schools and the realities of early learning environments. Early learners thrive in emotionally safe spaces, where caregivers are trusted adults, not armed authority figures. Moreover, most child care providers have limited resources, minimal security infrastructure, and no dedicated security staff. These new expectations may further burden an already strained workforce. We encourage early childhood programs to carefully consider these factors when weighing whether or not to participate in this program. 

Our Perspective: Preparedness Must Be Holistic

Our work with hundreds of thousands of early childhood programs shows that true preparedness extends beyond tactical response plans. While physical safety is non-negotiable, it must be paired with trauma-informed practices, emotional support systems, and procedures tailored to infants, toddlers, and young children.

As these policies roll out, ICP encourages state agencies, providers, and families to work together on practical next steps such as:

• Aligning training tracks: How will tactical firearms instruction be paired with age-appropriate, trauma-informed training for educators?

• Family engagement: What communication channels will keep families informed and able to voice concerns early?

• Wellness follow-up: Which supports—mental-health check-ins, peer debriefs, counseling—will be offered to staff who serve as guardians?

Preparedness is never o

ne-size-fits-all. Early childhood educators deserve clear guidance, evidence-based training, and long-term support so they can translate any new statute into safe, calm learning environments.

Your commitment is to children’s safety—ours is giving you the tools to protect them.

Click below to request your customized training and book the training format that works for you—on-site or online:

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Sources:

Florida Legislature. (2025). Chapter 2025-58: An act relating to school safety (Committee Substitute for Senate Bill No. 1470). Laws of Florida. https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/1470

Florida Phoenix. (2025, May 8). Classroom locked-door law revisions target sheriffs’ concerns. https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/05/08/classroom-locked-door-law-revisions-target-sheriffs-concerns/

Florida Phoenix. (2025, May 21). DeSantis signs law allowing child care center employees to undergo training to carry guns. https://floridaphoenix.com/briefs/desantis-signs-law-allowing-child-care-center-employees-to-undergo-training-to-carry-guns/