State lawmakers pushing for stronger guidelines as local schools make security improvements

While students and teachers look ahead to another year of classes, safety will be top of mind for school officials.

State lawmakers set out to tackle the issue of school security after the 2018 mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. That was when lawmakers approved a grant program, with a goal of $300 million for security upgrades for schools statewide.

Our partners at the Trib took a closer look at some of the schools in Western Pennsylvania, including Greensburg Salem, where every single building on campus has seen some sort of security upgrade.

The Norwin School District hired a second school officer this month, the Trib reports, and staff members are continuing to undergo active shooter training.

In 2014, more than two dozen people were hurt in a mass stabbing in 2014 at Franklin Regional. According to the Trib, the superintendent said the district is continuing to make upgrades and will have an armed school police force with three full-time officers and five working part-time.

But the Trib reports that some state senators believe part of that money should be used to consult security experts. Others want the general assembly to require a baseline for school safety standards so that districts are all on the same page. That includes more locks and cameras, more counselors and psychologists and even environmental systems that could help detect mold and lead.

Another element they’re focusing on is active shooter training — proposing that it is required every year instead of every five years. State Sen. Mike Brewster from McKeesport told the Trib he believes everyone in the building should be trained on how to protect themselves in the event of an active shooter.

Education Week reports that this year, there have already been 27 school shootings in the U.S., including the shooting outside the Oliver Citywide Academy in Pittsburgh.

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