School safety is our number one priority

By: 
Tod Bowman
Iowa State Senator, 29th Dist.

     Wednesday’s (Feb. 14) high school shooting in Parkland, Fla., is every parent’s and educator’s worst nightmare. My heart goes out to the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the staff, their families and all those affected by this horrific event. We owe it to them to offer more than our thoughts, prayers or divisive politics. Every state can and should take active measures to prevent tragedies like this.

     By coincidence, I was recently assigned to SF 2253 in the Senate Education Committee. The bill is designed to protect schools in the case of active shooters or natural disasters. This bill requires all schools throughout Iowa to establish emergency action plans, in conjunction with the Department of Education and local law enforcement officials. Currently, about 80 percent of schools already have plans developed and successfully implemented. However, 20 percent of Iowa schools without plans is too many. As an educator, I was able to lend my experience to the bill, and I believe the bill had merit but needed an amendment that would make it harder for a potential assailant to obtain knowledge of such plans.

     In Maquoketa, where we have a plan in place, we know just how valuable it can be in preventing the worst. In addition to having an emergency action plan, educators in Maquoketa Community School District, me included, are trained in ALICE. ALICE is a nationwide active shooter response training that stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate. Emergency action plans, coordination with law enforcement and training are all crucial to protecting our schools and our children. If you have questions about whether your school or your district has plans and trainings in place, please don’t hesitate to contact your school administrative office or me. I’ll happily connect you with the appropriate resource.

     Republicans and Democrats share the vision of providing the highest level safety for our K-12 education system. Our bill and its amendment represent a common-sense measure to help Iowa achieve this goal. Our feelings of sorrow and solidarity with the people of Florida will be made meaningful if they are accompanied by a concerted effort to come together and prevent tragedies like this from happening again.

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