North Carolina Bill Needs One Final Vote Before Heading to Governor

North Carolina Bill Needs One Final Vote Before Heading to Governor

A statewide North Carolina school safety bill passed the House unanimously earlier this week. It needs one more vote from the Senate before it heads to Gov. Roy Cooper.

  • By Kaitlyn DeHaven
  • July 25, 2019

A North Carolina bill with the intention of making schools safer passed the House unanimously earlier this week. It is now one vote away from going to Gov. Roy Cooper.

Rep. Donna White, R-Johnston, was the sponsor of the bill. She has been working on it since 2013, when she served on the Johnston County Board of Education and she spoke about how to prevent mass school shootings alongside psychologists, physicians, teachers and law enforcement officers.

"It's almost tear-jerking for me," White said. "I've only been a legislator for two-and-a-half years, but for six years, I've worked on this initiative."

The bill not only focuses on physical health, but also places a strong emphasis on mental health, as that can often be the root of the cause of school shootings.

"There are issues of mental health ... issues of stress and emotional breakdown of children because of our society, and then there's the issue of actual parameters of the school needs to be safe," White said.

According to WRAL, the bill would include statewide funding for an app that lets students report potential threats anonymously, as well as a new digital panic alarm system to be installed in schools. It requires mandatory, standardized training for school resource officers in crisis response and de-escalation and also requires school districts to put together threat assessment teams and conduct emergency drills.

"It has just really put North Carolina on the map for being a state that has not waited for that ultimate Parkland or Columbine or Sandy Hook," White said, name-checking three locales where major school shootings have occurred in the last 20 years. "Not to say that won't happen – we can't control what happens – but we're ready. We're prepared."

After a final vote in the Senate, the bill can head to the governor.

About the Author

Kaitlyn DeHaven is the Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Securing Higher Education: Combating Enrollment Fraud and Empowering Student Financial Success

    Higher education institutions are facing a costly and growing crisis: enrollment fraud. Between 2020 and 2022, the cost[1] of acquiring a new student surged by up to 32%, straining already tight budgets. At the same time, “ghost students” using stolen identities to enroll fraudulently put institutions at even greater financial risk. Read Now

  • How Composable Security Technologies Fortify Campus Safety

    Campus security teams have faced myriad risks threatening the safety and well-being of students and faculty this semester. Leaders have made tough tradeoffs about where to focus and how to channel limited resources to best protect their communities — but they now have a much-needed lift to their toolkit. Read Now

  • How Emerging Technologies are Transforming the School Security Landscape

    Students can't focus on learning when they're worried about their safety. As education systems nationwide face evolving security challenges with limited resources, a new generation of integrated technology solutions is helping schools create safer environments while maximizing staff efficiency. Read Now

  • How to Harness ALPR for Greater Security Efficiency and Collaboration

    Within higher education campus environments, the demand for greater security, efficiency, and resources is ever-present. Many higher education teams are adopting advanced technologies to secure their campus, streamline operations, and continue to best serve their students and faculty. Automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) technology stands out for its ability to meet a wide range of campus objectives. Read Now

Most   Popular