Bill > SB304

This bill, known as the Safe Schools Sentry Act, amends Delaware law to clarify and expand who can possess firearms or projectile weapons in a Safe School Zone, which includes buildings, athletic fields, and vehicles owned or operated by public or private schools, as well as school districts. The changes introduce new definitions for "charter school," "public school," "private school," and "sentry," with a "sentry" being an individual authorized to carry a weapon in a Safe School Zone under specific conditions. The bill maintains that possessing a firearm or projectile weapon in a Safe School Zone is a class E felony, but it adds a new exception for sentries. It also clarifies that constables and qualified retired law-enforcement officers employed by public or private schools are exempt when acting in an official capacity. Importantly, the bill allows private schools to authorize certain employees to carry firearms in Safe School Zones if they meet specific training and licensing requirements, similar to those for armed security guards, and if the school's oversight entity notifies local law enforcement. Additionally, the bill specifies that public school students found with firearms or projectile weapons in a Safe School Zone will face mandatory expulsion for at least 180 days, with the possibility of modification on a case-by-case basis.