OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - A bill that would improve the safety of Oklahoma's schools is on its way to the governor.
According to officials, Senate Bill 100, was unanimously approved by the Senate on Friday.
SB 100, authored by Sen. Dwayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, would help make sure that all public and private school districts as well as CareerTechs are up to date on certain safety and security standards. The bill will require districts to finish ongoing risk and vulnerability assessments.
“With growing concerns about school safety, finding a way to get all of our districts on the same page regarding security was our working group’s main goal. This will better utilize the Oklahoma School Security Institute by having them conduct regular assessments of facilities and procedures to make sure our schools are as secure as possible,” Sen. Pemberton said.
“I’m grateful and proud of the Legislature for supporting this important measure and also historic funding to ensure all districts are able to afford improvements to the safety and security of their facilities.”
According to Pemberton, SB 100 requires the OSSI to hold the assessments by July 1, 2026, with reassessments every five years. Districts that have already completed the assessments within the past two years will be exempt.
Officials say the measure will ensure that any school district applying for an Oklahoma School Security Grant Program award completes the assessment and agrees to expend grant money on items recommended by the risk and vulnerability assessment and/or to provide de-escalation and behavioral threat assessment and management training to employees. Lastly, it requires the grant program report to include a list of grantees.
Pemberton says the Senate also provided final approval for House Bill 2903 and House Bill 2904.
HB 2903 develops a three-year school safety pilot program to give to each district with nearly $96,000 to improve school security. HB 2904 offers a one-time allocation of $150 million to the safety program.
The bill now moves on to the governor for final consideration.
