School safety brought to forefront during education meeting Oct. 16, 2024 Senate Democratic Floor Leader Gerald A. Neal, D-Louisville, speaks Wednesday during the Budget Review Subcommittee on Education meeting. A high-resolution photo can be found here. FRANKFORT — Legislators on the Budget Review Subcommittee on Education received an overview Wednesday related to school safety, especially following budget allocations and legislative changes earlier this year. Jon Akers, executive director of Richmond-based Kentucky Center for School Safety, and Chris Barrier, chief of police for Montgomery County Schools, testified about multi-pronged efforts to help keep schools safe and offered thanks for funding and support the center has received. Lawmakers passed Senate Bill 2 during the most recent session of the Kentucky General Assembly. The bill sought to boost the number of school resources officers by allowing some veterans and former police officers to serve as school “guardians.” It also called for a school mapping plan, increased trauma informed care in schools and suicide prevention measures, Akers said. Additionally, the new state budget is helping to defray the costs of SROs, and House Bill 63 requires SROs in schools, he said. Senate Democratic Floor Leader Gerald A. Neal, D-Louisville, asked if overall success in schools is being determined by using data, and Barrier pointed to recidivism rates. “During the time that I have them, during this four-year time at the high school or the three years at the middle school, if they offend, can we keep them from reoffending? And I think that those are the things that are important in the long-term sense,” Barrier said. Rep. Steve Riley, R-Glasgow, said overseeing those at schools can be daunting. “I, like you, am a retired principal,” he said to Akers. “I know that I lost countless hours of sleep as a high school principal worrying about school safety because I felt the burden of being responsible for 1,300 students and over 100 employees. And that’s a great burden to feel.” Riley said approximately four of five weeks ago, his area was experiencing threats and rumors of shootings at schools. They caused the schools to have to make extremely difficult decisions. “They had to decide whether they’re going to continue school and risk losing money because they have a large number of students that missed because parents are scared or go ahead and have or not have school and then that creates a burden for parents, teachers and everybody else,” he said. Sen. Matthew Deneen, R-Elizabethtown, who is co-chair of the subcommittee, said the Kentucky Center for School Safety has been integral to the protection of staff and students, and thanked other legislators for supporting the center. “I want to thank the members of the House and the members of the Senate and their budget committees. This year alone, I think we added an additional $16.5 million and next year, that will be another $18 million to help protect our students and our staff and our schools. So, our members here value your input. We understand the importance of protecting our most precious asset, and that’s our students and our children,” he said. The next meeting of the subcommittee is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 6. The post School safety brought to forefront during education meeting appeared first on The Lexington Times.