Last Friday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed House Bill 6012, a bipartisan bill that makes an historic investment in school safety by fully funding risk assessments and critical incidence mapping to help protect students and create safety plans in the event of an emergency. The legislation also fully funds resources to hire and retain mental health professionals, enhance security measures, and provide additional learning opportunities for Oxford Community Schools.
“I am proud to sign this bill to help keep students safe. This bill represents a true collaboration between the legislature, my office, community members, and school leadership to make sure our schools have the tools they need to protect students in cases of school shootings or other critical incidents,” said Whitmer. “Today we are also proud to deliver necessary resources to Oxford Community Schools so they can hire more mental health staff and offer additional learning time to their students as they recover from the horrific shooting last year. I know we can continue working together to make sure we are supporting our students, including improving public safety measures to keep violent criminals out of our schools and off our streets, funding effective law enforcement solutions, and storing firearms safely. Let’s get it done.”
“We carefully listened to the needs expressed by Oxford and worked with them to provide the tools they need to recover from the lasting impact of the tragedy that students, staff and the building itself withstood,” said State Reprepresentative Pamela Hornberger (R-Chesterfield), a former public school teacher. “This funding plan will help obtain and retain mental health professionals necessary to help with trauma response, help cover legal and public relations costs, provide enhanced security features, cover costs for damage to school property during the shooting, and more.”
“I am proud to have advocated on behalf of the students, staff, faculty, and Oxford community as a whole in getting this funding across the finish line,” said State Senator Rosemary Bayer (D-Beverly Hills), whose district includes Oxford. “While I will remain committed to preventing more tragedies by enacting gun violence prevention policies, this funding for school security, mental health support, and more is a start to working on the immediate needs of the Oxford community, and for that, I am grateful to my colleagues and the governor for their support.”
“This new law provides needed funding for Oxford schools, as well as important funding for risk assessments and critical incidence mapping,” said State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice. “That said, we still have more work in front of us: the need for the legislature to support the governor’s FY 23 budget request of a $361 million increase in children’s mental health and $51 million for school safety grants; and the need for greater gun safety, including a red flag law and other measures to reduce the likelihood that guns will fall into the hands of those who are dangerous to themselves or others.”
“The passage of House Bill 6012 marks a significant milestone for the Oxford school community,” said Oakland Schools Superintendent Dr. Wanda Cook-Robinson. “Our children, parents, and educators have been impacted by trauma. While there is a long road ahead, we are comforted by the support we have received from the Michigan Legislature. This funding will help the Oxford school community obtain the tools necessary to recover from the lasting impact of the tragedy faced by students and staff.”
The bipartisan legislation will go a long way towards keeping our students safe. First, it would help schools implement risk assessments to comprehensively identify the current status of their campus safety and determine where further investments are needed. Second, it would help schools complete critical incidence mapping for their campuses, ensuring that emergency plans and protocols are effective and in-place. The legislation includes a total of $14 million that will be awarded to all schools, including traditional public, intermediate school districts, and private schools, for $2,000 grants to complete a comprehensive safety and security assessment. The grants will be administered by the Department of Education. Third, the bill directly invests in Oxford Community Schools to help them recover from the shooting late last year. It will help them hire mental health professionals, enhance security, and offering additional learning time to students lost in the wake of the tragedy.
House Bill 6012 was sponsored by Rep. Pamela Hornberger, R–Chesterfield.
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