(Des Moines) Iowa House Republicans released two bills to address school safety.
House Study Bill 692 focuses on infrastructure. The bill includes a number of policies such as requiring schools to complete a comprehensive review of their school safety and emergency response plans ands submit this review to law enforcement before next school year.
*Creates a fund to install radios capable of accessing the Statewide interoperable Communications System in all school buildings that do not currently have them. This radio system helped law enforcement coordinate their response to the shooing at the Perry High School.
*Implements a firearm detection software in three schools of different sizes through a pilot program.
*Establishes a task force to create recommended school safety standards in building code.
*Beginning in 2026, schools would be required to meet these school safety standards before using a SAVE funds on athletic facility projects.
House Study Bill 675 focuses on personnel able and ready to protect students in the event of and emergency. The policies include:
*Schools with enrollment over 8,000 students shall employ at least one school resource officer or private security officer. The bill also creates a grant program to match funds to help schools fund these positions.
*Creates a new permit that allows a school employee to carry weapons. The requirements for this permit ae strictly prescribed and extensive. The course must include a one-time, in-person legal training and annual medical training and communication training.
*The Department of Public Safety shall implement a required, annual live scenario training and quarterly live firearm training for permitted school employees.
HSB 692 is currently in the Appropriations committee. HSB 675 is in the Public Safety committee, and has a subcommittee scheduled for Monday at 12:30 p.m.
