Michigan Governor Releases Details on $20 Million School Safety Plan

Michigan Governor Releases Details on $20 Million School Safety Plan

Gov. Rick Snyder is recommending $20 million to help schools upgrade their security.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has released the details of his new school safety plan, which recommends $20 million to help schools upgrade their security and calls for a permanent Safe Schools Commission to review safety plans each year.

"Recent tragedies taking place in schools nationwide have escalated emotions and driven some people to entrench upon a single position," Snyder said in a news release. "But there is no one simple solution to solve this terrible problem and prevent it from ever happening again."

There are 18 initiatives included in Snyder's plan:

  • $18 million in fiscal year 2019 for school safety grants that will allow school leaders to strengthen buildings, improve lock systems and upgrade communications
  • $2 million in the current fiscal year for schools that require basic security upgrades, such as functioning, locking doors
  • Schools would submit incident reports to law enforcement
  • Schools would develop comprehensive security plans that would include behavioral health policies, student reporting mechanisms, emergency response and building safety requirements
  • A temporary school safety task force would make recommendations and a permanent Safe Schools Commission would be created to review and help update the state's school safety plan year to year
  • School teachers, administrators and faculty would be trained to identify when students are in need of mental or emotional counseling and support
  • The state would pilot a $2 million grand program for intermediate school districts to offer behavioral assessment training for their administrative and academic teams
  • The Michigan Council on Law Enforcement Standards would be directed to create a tiered training program for school resource officers. The organization would also be directed to develop a standard for active violence response training for police officers

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • Emerging Campus Access Control Solutions

    Emerging solutions in campus access control can mean different things. Usually, we expect the topic to focus on the very latest in door security products and solutions that have just been recently released or are about to be launched. After all, staying up on improvements to keep campuses safer is critical. Plus, it’s always interesting and exciting to learn what’s new and how innovations are going to better protect lives and assets and help the industry be even more successful. Read Now

  • Here’s How Instructional Audio Can Play a Key Role in School Safety

    Ensuring the safety of students and employees is critical in today’s educational environment. While the threat of a school shooting is in the back of everyone’s mind, the truth is there are many possible scenarios that could crop up at any time in classrooms, hallways, and other school spaces—from fights or altercations to a sick child or staff member who requires emergency attention. Read Now

  • How School Security Continues to Advance

    For more than 30 years, I’ve been fully immersed in security operations in K-12 schools, including working in school safety in Littleton, Colorado during the attack at Columbine High School in 1999. That incident, coupled with those before and since, underscores the critical need for continued improvement in safety and security measures in our schools. Thankfully, ongoing advancements in security technology enable prompt response to critical threats as well as daily operational efficiency Read Now

  • The Role of Trusted Access Control and Identity Management

    The diverse and dynamic campus environments of modern post-secondary institutions rely on multiple systems and processes to ensure campus security and operational efficiency. Read Now

Webinars