Beshear Signs Measure To Better Protect Children At School

Governor Andy Beshear signed the school safety measure Senate Bill 8 into law Friday in an effort to better protect children at schools throughout Kentucky.

The bill, which received bipartisan support among state lawmakers, requires sworn law enforcement officers already serving in Kentucky schools to be armed and requires standards for security and training.

Senate Bill 1, the School Safety and Resiliency Act, was passed by lawmakers last year in wake of the Marshall County shooting in January 2019 that claimed the lives of two students and injured nineteen. The bill provided standards for schools that would help improve the physical and mental health and safety of students. Senate Bill 1 mandated that school resource officers be in schools.

Last month, state officials say Governor Beshear proposed $18.2 million to fund the physical plant mandate portion of the bill, which is every dollar the Kentucky School Board Association said was needed for statewide school security upgrades. They add the proposal is a first important step in fully funding the improvements needed in Kentucky’s public schools and making many of the schools hard targets.

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