Missouri bill would require minimum safety measures at schools
A new bill in the Missouri House would require more safety measures at school.
House Bill 2567 would establish a School Safety Task Force, which would study school-based mental health services, mental health staffing, school discipline and intervention and interagency collaboration.
The bill would also require all public and charter schools to conduct active shooter and intruder response training for staff members every year.
The Clayton School District already does this. All staff members go through an intruder drill with the Clayton Police Department. During one recent drill, a police officer pretended to be a shooter and walked in on a classroom full of staff members.
“You want it to be engrained in you,” said Chris Tennill, the district’s safety coordinator. “You want it to be muscle memory as opposed to trying to remember what you have to do.”
The bill would also require schools to have a way for receive tips for threats. In Clayton, there is an app for it.
“We also have a quick tip line embedded in our websites and also our mobile apps, where parents, students can report a tip or concern,” Tennill said.
The tips instantly go to police and administrators. Tennill said while the Clayton School District already meets and exceeds the proposals in the bill, it’s always looking for ways to improve.
“Every person in this district is responsible for making sure every kid gets to go home every day to their family and see them,” Tennill said.