There was an .... "incident" .... at my neighborhood elementary school within the past few years. I wonder if something like this would have prevented it:
State Rep. Bryan Lentz, D-Delaware, said his legislation to increase safety for school children was unanimously approved by the House Education Committee today.
House Bill 1304 would require the state Education Department to set up telephone hotlines through which students, parents and others could safely and anonymously report school threats and potential violent situations involving schools to the appropriate authorities.
Similar programs exist in other states, such as Alabama, Colorado and Michigan.
Lentz explained that upon making initial contact with the Colorado hotline, a staff member assigns the caller a code number used to track the tip information. All tips are immediately investigated by appropriate school and/or law enforcement officials.
In Colorado alone, since its inception in 1999, there have been more than 3,000 calls to the hotline, 744 of which resulted in investigation, early intervention and prevention. These reports led to 24 arrests, 120 counseling referrals, 152 school disciplinary actions and 107 prevention plans. The Colorado hotline also lists among its accomplishments 27 prevented school attacks.
"My bill would provide a simple, low-cost way to allow individuals to report threats and event attacks on our schools," Lentz said. "I am pleased the Education Committee recognized the importance of this legislation, and I look forward to its passage in the House."
He added that the Pennsylvania School Board Association supports his measure.
The bill now goes to the full House for consideration.
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