School safety issues will be the topic of discussion during Wednesday's Michigan House Appropriations Committee in Lansing.
The committee will be discussing several bills aimed at increasing safety and security at schools following recent mass shootings.
Senate bills 882, 982, 983, 990, and 991 are part of a school safety package that would do all of the following:
-Create the Office of School Safety in the Department of State Police.
-Require the Office of School Safety to create model practices, develop and offer training to school staff, seek and apply for federal funds, and disburse competitive grants relating to school safety.
-Require school districts, intermediate school districts (ISDs), and public school academies (PSAs) to develop an emergency operations plan for each school building by January 1, 2020.
-Allow a school board to hold closed sessions to discuss security planning.
-Require districts, ISDs, and PSAs, in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies, to conduct biennial reviews of their emergency operations plans.
-Require public and nonpublic schools to provide the Department of State Police biannually with at least one school official’s emergency contact information to receive information from a statewide school safety hotline.
-Require a district, ISD, or PSA to consult with a local law enforcement agency on school safety issues before the construction or major renovation of school buildings.
-Each bill would take effect 90 days after being enacted. The Senate bills are half of a school safety package that includes the following House bills:
Each bill would take effect 90 days after being enacted. The Senate bills are half of a school safety package that includes the following House bills: 5828, 5829, 5850, 5851, and 5852.
