The safety of Hoosier students, teachers and school staff is always a top priority.
In this session, I authored House Bill 1492 to boost school safety by investing in Indiana’s successful Secured School Safety Grant Program, which awards dollars to Indiana school districts to address potential safety threats and help them prepare.
Recently, schools in our area received over $654,000 in state funding under this school safety program.
Currently, state funding from the grant program can be used by school corporations to employ a school resource officer, conduct a threat assessment, purchase equipment, support firearms training in districts that choose to implement such programs, and create a student and parent support services program or an active alert warning system. The bill would expand its uses to include digital mapping of floor plans that can be shared with first responders, multi-disciplinary threat assessments, and technology to detect fire, chemical, visual and audible threats. The bill would also ensure safety plans for public, private and public charter schools meet certain standards.
The legislation would also create a school safety team in every school corporation in Indiana, comprised of safety specialists like law enforcement, school resource officers, counselors and social workers. The group would provide guidance to students, staff and teachers, along with the updated and individualized plans for their school corporation. To better coordinate safety efforts between schools and public safety officials, the bill also makes law enforcement agencies eligible for the school safety grant program.Â
The Indiana School Boards Association, the Indiana School Resource Officers Association and the Indiana State Teachers Association supported the bill, which passed the House unanimously. To learn more or watch legislative proceedings, visit iga.in.gov.
As a school administrator and a state legislator, I’m committed to ensuring our schools have the resources they need to create and implement safety plans that meet their unique needs. It’s critical that our students and educators have safe learning environments, so that they can keep their focus on education. Â
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Thank God. A leader who believes in the rule of law.
And who isn’t accused of making hush payments to porn stars.
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