Indiana House Democrats Propose School Safety Study Commission

By Brynna Sentel
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—Following the Noblesville West Middle School shooting in late May, Indiana legislators began questioning what they should be doing to keep schools safe.

Wednesday, Indiana House Minority Leader Terry Goodin, D-Austin, wrote a letter to Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma asking to add a permanent school safety commission to the roster of Interim Study Committees that review and propose legislation.

House Minority Leader Terry Goodin, D-Austin. Photo by Quinn Fitzgerald, TheStatehouseFile.com

In the letter, Goodin recognized the work being done by Indiana Department of Education and the Secured School Safety Board to study the current state of school safety to make recommendations for improvements. But he said more people should work together and be involved.

Adam Baker, spokesperson for the Indiana Department of Education, said his team has not yet had a chance to review the letter. However, he said they are already making progress on improving school safety, which includes providing recommendations to Gov. Eric Holcomb and reviewing all district school safety plans.

“I hope it’s a collaboration as far as trying to come up with the best policies for school safety,” Goodin said in an interview, stressing that everyone  affected should be involved, including parents, students and educators.

Changes proposed will ultimately need to be considered by the Indiana General Assembly so lawmakers should be involved with the studies from the beginning, he said.

“I think the legislature should have a say and actually have some input on what some of the best policies are,” Goodin said.

Making sure the commission has people from different backgrounds on it will provide depth, he explained.

“The number one goal is to make schools safer and that should be on top of everybody’s priority list,” Goodin said, “I think we are just not doing enough.”

Bosma, R-Indianapolis, did not have a chance to review Goodin’s proposal to provide a comment.

However, also on Wednesday, Bosma suggested lawmakers should review state statutes that require criminal defendants under age 13 be tried as juveniles. His comment followed the decision by Hamilton County prosecutors not to charge the Noblesville school shooter as an adult.

“In light of the Noblesville West Middle School incident and the recent charges brought against the shooter, we are reviewing current state law in regards to juveniles being charged as adults,” Bosma said in a written statement.

“Given the heinous acts that led to a teacher and student being seriously harmed, I think it’s important for us to take a thoughtful look at our criminal code and whether changes to the law are appropriate.”

FOOTNOTE: Brynna Sentel is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.