Contact:
Mara Powell
mpowell@kyyouth.org

Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates

LOUISVILLE, KY – The safety of students as they grow into thriving adults has been an increased concern of the General Assembly for several sessions. It is clear that safety must be defined as far more than simply school discipline or a secured facility. We have to make a commitment to building resilience through proven support systems in behavioral and mental health – that is an essential commitment to kids for their overall well-being and their academic achievement.

This afternoon, the Senate Education Committee took a significant step forward in reinforcing school safety and student well-being through the advancement of Senate Bill 2, sponsored by Senator Max Wise.

The challenges of ensuring the physical and emotional security for both our students and educational staff call for innovative and comprehensive solutions. SB 2 represents a proactive approach to addressing these challenges. It increases accountability for this important commitment by requiring schools’ trauma-informed teams to submit their plan annually to the Kentucky Department of Education and creating the School Mapping Data Program for schools to include school mapping data, if available, in their emergency plans. It also builds educator capacity, requiring schools to provide suicide prevention awareness training during some of the most vulnerable times – at the start of the school year and following winter break.

SB 2 also establishes a framework for “guardians” in schools and ensures that they are trained at the same standard as School Resource Officers – which includes youth mental health awareness, diversity and bias awareness training, trauma-informed action, and de-escalation strategies. We remain steadfast in our stance that evidence lacks on the effectiveness of SROs to maintain the overall safety of our schools and in fact, demonstrates that those positions can instead actually jeopardize student belonging. Optimally, we hope that an innovative approach to this new position may enhance the effectiveness of the SRO program. Minimally, any adult in any role in any school building – including law enforcement – must be appropriately trained so that their focus is supporting young people, and not simply punishing them. We appreciate the thoughtful questions and comments regarding safely and effectively implementing this section of the comprehensive legislation brought forth by our Senate Education Committee members.

We thank Senator Max Wise for continuing his leadership and commitment to improving school safety with SB 2, as well as the Senate Education Committee for ensuring its passage today. Senator Wise and the late Representative John “Bam” Carney were pioneering champions around this kind of thinking when they architected the national landmark Senate Bill 1 in 2019. Senator Wise continues those efforts today!

Stay up-to-date on Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children priorities and other bills that are good for kids on our Kentucky General Assembly Bill Tracker.

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About Kentucky Youth Advocates
Kentucky Youth Advocates believes all children deserve to be safe, healthy, and secure. As THE independent voice for Kentucky’s children, we work to ensure policymakers create investments and policies that are good for children. Learn more at www.kyyouth.org.