School security upgrades, mental health resources & crisis training featured in proposal
St. Paul, MN—House Republicans unveiled a legislative package Thursday aimed at putting student safety first. Legislators’ multifaceted approach includes more resources to meet the needs of students and schools statewide. This allows for hiring more school resource officers, student counselors and mental health professionals in addition to making critical building security upgrades. In total, House Republicans are proposing approximately $50 million for mental health and school safety funding, double the amount proposed by Governor Dayton.
“Minnesota kids come first, and our proposal will partner with our local communities and school districts,” said Rep. Deb Kiel, R-Crookston. “From ensuring there are resources for children who need help with mental health issues to giving our districts more flexibility to make building improvements or hire more support staff, I think this is a commonsense approach that will make a real difference for our students and schools.”
“This is a smart proposal that will benefit students and schools from Roseau to Rochester,” said Rep. Dan Fabian, R-Roseau. “Our package of bills provides critical resources for districts, as well as flexibility. That’s really important because while all schools are working to keep kids safe, what rural school districts like those in our area may need can be drastically different than what large suburban and city school districts may need. I think this is a commonsense proposal that will greatly benefit Northwest Minnesota school districts and help keep kids safe.”
The following solutions, authored by numerous House Republican members, are currently advancing through the public committee process, and will be included in the larger proposal:
- School resource officers, student support personnel, and other school security programs funded through increased Safe Schools revenue, including a floor level of funding for small schools
- School building security upgrades, and expanded use of Long-Term Facility Maintenance revenue for security projects, including emergency communications systems
- School-linked mental health programming to ensure better outcomes for kids
- Physical security audit grants to provide state assistance to review facility security and crisis management policies
- Suicide prevention training for teachers to help educators learn how to engage and assist students experiencing mental distress
- School-based threat assessment teams established to assess, intervene, and report threats facing students, teachers, and staff