In late September, I was invited to be part of a legislative roundtable discussion on the topic of School Safety. Organized by the Senate Majority Policy Committee, the forum was led by chairman Senator David Argall and members Senator Bob Mensch, Senator Mike Regan and Representative Craig Staats. A video recording of the discussion can be found here and I encourage you to watch it.

The safety of our students and staff is of utmost importance here in the North Penn School District (NPSD) and throughout all schools in Pennsylvania and beyond. I feel it is crucial for me as Superintendent to have a seat at the table when discussing such an important topic. I prefer to be involved in policy setting at the grassroots level and to be proactive rather than reactive to bills and laws that impact how we educate our students, fund our schools and keep our communities safe.

This specific roundtable was scheduled to discuss important laws and proposed bills that impact school safety. Specifically, we spent much time discussing recently enacted legislation, Act 39 of 2018, Act 44 of of 2018 and other legislation recently introduced but not yet enacted. General topics included school security drills, safety hotlines, training and funding.

The issue of funding is an important one. Act 44 created a School Safety and Security Committee that oversees $60 million in safe schools funding. Although this is a substantial amount of money, once you consider the 500 public school districts in the state who will share the funds, the impact decreases. On a positive note, however, in this issue of E-Matters you will read more about a $20,000 grant NPSD recently received from the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Office for Safe Schools for a 2018-19 Safe Schools Targeted Program.

The funding provided by the state is very much appreciated, however, I urged legislators to commit to long-term funding sources specific to safe schools initiatives because this need will never go away. One suggestion I have made prior to and at the roundtable discussion was to develop an Act 1 exception for school safety projects. Currently, if necessary, school districts can tax above the Act 1 index for pension and special education costs. I strongly believe school safety needs should be considered as a possible Act 1 exception and I encouraged our legislators to further investigate this idea.

The variety of people around the table further strengthens the need for not only funding for safe schools but also changes in how we operate. From challenges in ensuring safety on school buses to mental health needs to parent and student rights, the conversation about how we keep our students safe in an ever-changing world is vital.

As your Superintendent, it is my duty and my professional responsibility to not only stay informed about potential and enacted legislation that impact our schools, but to be part of the conversation and be an advocate for NPSD. You will hear more from me this school year on these efforts.