State Representative Freeland is a Cosponsor of House Bill 1, promoting school safety

FRANKFORT, Ky. (January 14, 2019) – Rep. Chris Freeland (Benton) is a primary cosponsor for HB 1, a school safety measure that provides a starting point in the journey toward protecting Kentucky’s children.

“January 23 is the anniversary of the most horrendous event ever to take place in our community and our Commonwealth,” said Rep. Freeland, “No child should ever be afraid to go to school and no school should be anything but a safe place. This is why I am cosponsoring HB 1, The School Safety and Resiliency Act. Nothing will ever bring back Bailey Holt and Preston Cope, but this legislation will help prevent future school tragedies.”

The provisions of HB 1 include setting a goal to provide more school resource officers and mental health professionals in Kentucky public schools. The legislation also requires school districts to appoint a school safety coordinator; criminalizes making false threats against schools; requires active shooter training for certain school employees. It also mandates that all access points to school buildings be secured by July 1, 2022. The bill would also call for the creation of a new state school security marshal who would be charged with working to keep schools compliant with safety requirements.

The School Safety and Resiliency Act is the result of months of meetings by the legislature’s School Safety Working Group. This group traveled the state and heard from a wide variety of stakeholders, including teachers, parents, law enforcement, students and mental health professionals. The ideas and suggestions gathered were instrumental in putting together this legislation – which takes a series of proactive steps to prevent any more school tragedies. It addresses two major challenges, strengthening the security of our schools and providing resources for troubled youth.

“Preventing what happened at Marshall County High School from happening again is one of the reasons why I’m here in Frankfort,” said Rep. Freeland, “No family should ever have to deal with the grief and heartbreak that our community knows too well. These measures go a long way to ensuring the safety of school children and I’m proud to be the primary cosponsor of this bill.”