AL committee studying school safety releases 10 recommendations

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - A council focused on making Alabama school safer has released its first recommendations to Governor Kay Ivey.

The Governor's "Securing Alabama's Facilities of Education" (SAFE) Council issued their first report. Their creation comes months after a deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida turned lawmaker attention to making sure no tragedy like this happened in Alabama.

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The recommendations in the report fall under one of three categories:

• Physical Security 
  • Funding for School Resource Officers (SROs) and District Safety Coordinators (DSCs)
  • Bond Issue for Enhancing School Building Security
  • Surveillance Systems Linked to Law Enforcement
• Threat Assessments and Mental Health 
  • School-Based Mental Health
  • Identifying Warning Signs
  • Reporting Threats
  • Tracking School Violence
• Coordinated Training and Planning 
  • Empowered and Accountable District Safety Coordinators
  • Building a Culture of Safety
  • School Safety Training and Compliance Teams

"I am very pleased with the findings of the SAFE Council and I am already having discussions with agency heads about implementing some of these recommendations immediately," Governor Ivey said. "Other recommendations need further consideration and will need some actions by the Alabama Legislature. I will continue to review the recommendations within this report, and other options not directly addressed by the report, to ensure all Alabama schools are as safe and secure as possible."

Members of the SAFE Council include: Interim State Superintendent of Education Dr. Ed Richardson; Chancellor, Alabama Community College System Jimmy Baker; Secretary of Law Enforcement Hal Taylor; Commissioner, Alabama Department of Mental Health Lynn Beshear; and Acting Secretary of Information Technology Jim Purcell.

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