Last week, the Indiana Senate considered several measures to improve school safety in our state.
One measure, which Senator Randy Head authored, would prohibit school buses from picking up and dropping off students at locations that force students to cross highways, unless there is no way to avoid it. This legislation would also increase penalties for people who fail to stop when a school bus’ stop arm is extended. This legislation unanimously passed the Senate Committee on Judiciary and will now move to the full Senate.
Another proposed effort would increase funding for schools to help students dealing with mental and emotional health issues. Additionally, at Indiana colleges, every teacher preparation program would be required to provide instruction to future teachers on mental health issues.
Finally, senators are discussing giving school districts the ability to use referendums specifically for school safety costs. This option would give residents voting on a safety referendum certainty that 100 percent of the property tax revenue raised would be used for school safety.
Senator Head closed his comments saying, “As your state senator, I will continue to work on ensuring the safety of our students and teachers.”
