Oklahoma House considers school safety measures

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) – Following current shootings, faculty security has been on the high of everybody’s thoughts, together with Oklahoma lawmakers.

The state’s Home Widespread Schooling Committee and the Home Appropriations and Price range Committee unanimously authorised a number of payments in hopes to extend faculty safety.

State Consultant Trey Caldwell mentioned, “That is one thing that’s not a political subject, it’s simply ensuring that these native, smaller faculties have the assets to have the ability to afford that degree of security.”

The primary invoice (SB100) would require all faculties to undergo a danger evaluation each 5 years.

“That means we’re ensuring if there’s a downside on the market, if we do have a weak point in our faculty methods then we are able to handle that as a legislative physique and native faculty boards can handle that as properly,” mentioned Rep. Caldwell.

Superintendent of Cache Public Faculties Chad Hance is in full help of laws attempting to make faculties a safer place. He mentioned, “Having any person come from the surface that’s an professional in that, and offer you some ideas to assist safe your constructing. That’s very useful. You’ll be able to’t argue that that might not be one thing that advantages college students and advantages academics.”

The second invoice (SB101) discusses serving to rural and underserved faculties make use of a college useful resource officer.

Caldwell mentioned, “The rationale they don’t have these officers on web site is due to the affordability issue, so simply attempting to assist that course of alongside.”

“Numerous occasions once we discuss faculties having useful resource officers, they need to make a tricky determination. Do I fund to have a useful resource officer, or do I present a studying instructor or a math instructor,” mentioned Hance.

These payments will hopefully be offered to the Home ground throughout the subsequent few weeks.

The general purpose is to assist mother and father, college students, and faculties give attention to schooling somewhat than worrying about security.

“The overwhelming concern that plenty of mother and father have is that after they drop their children off, they wish to know that their children are going to be protected and that they’re going to select them up once more,” mentioned Rep. Caldwell. “I believe that we as a legislative physique and our native faculty board. I believe its an obligation that now we have to carry on to, and ensure we’re doing every part in our energy to make it possible for occurs.”

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