House Speaker Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, said he will meet next month with the House Select Committee on Homeland Security
to review the state’s policies on school safety.
Kleckley said the meeting was scheduled in response to the Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
that left 26 students and faculty dead. He said he wants to “look at the whole scope” of the state’s laws and policies to
make sure students are protected.
“We want to do everything we can so when a child goes to school, they’re safe,” Kleckley said. “It’s a good time to update
everything.”
In a news release issued Friday,
Kleckley said the state has existing laws for responding to violent
situations at schools.
They include “emergency plans,” banning “weapons and body armor on
school campuses” and letting schools “have police officers
on campus daily.”
Committee Chairman Rep. John Schroder, R-Covington, said the meeting will focus on K-12 schools and higher education.
“I think every legislator and citizen of this state has some concern about the safety on all campuses,” he said. “We just
want to be proactive.”
Schroder said he wants state law enforcement agencies, including the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency
Preparedness, to be involved in the discussion.
“We’ve become experts on hurricane preparedness,” he said. “We should expand that on any threat. Schools know nothing about
law enforcement. We must discuss with law enforcement what we can do to help the schools become an absolute safe zone.”