Courtesy of Kentucky Lantern
February 22, 2024

FRANKFORT — A Kentucky Republican is once again seeking to strengthen security and mental health measures in schools to prevent school shootings in the commonwealth.

This time, the legislation includes having certified guardians fill in for law enforcement officers in schools that do not currently have officers and compiling data on mental health initiatives and training.  

Sen. Max Wise, of Campbellsville, filed Senate Bill 2 Thursday to continue fortifying school safety measures across Kentucky after successfully backing the School Safety and Resiliency Act in 2019. 

The law, which received bipartisan support and was signed by Gov. Andy Beshear, expanded school security programs and mental health resources after the 2018 Marshall County High School shooting. Two students were killed and more than a dozen were injured. During the 2022 legislative session, the General Assembly also passed a law requiring a school resource officer, or SRO, in each Kentucky school. SROs are sworn law enforcement officers trained to work with school students. 

Wise’s latest bill seeks to aid schools that may not yet have an SRO by establishing the “Kentucky Guardian” program. Speaking to reporters Thursday, Wise said 600 campuses do not have SROs for reasons like a lack of funding and workforce participation. 

Under the legislation, the guardians would be school employees who meet certain requirements, including being licensed to carry a concealed weapon and passing a background check. They would also need to be certified by the Kentucky Center for School Safety. Those eligible to become a guardian are honorably discharged veterans, retired Kentucky state troopers, retired special and sworn law enforcement officers and former federal law enforcement officers. They would also undergo training, such as the first level of SRO training. 

Wise said guardians would have the ability to carry a weapon in schools but they will not have the authority to arrest anyone, a power SROs have. Guardians would also not be able to discipline students. 

The bill does not include a funding appropriation, so it would be up to schools to decide if they want to give guardians a stipend. 

“This is not just about the hardening approach, though, of a layer with a guardian. We also get into the mental health approach with this piece of legislation,” the senator said. 

Senate Bill 2 would integrate school psychologists, social workers, community-based mental health services hired by school districts and SROs into trauma-informed teams within schools, which will compile a record of activities during the school year. Trauma-informed approaches in schools, put into state law by the 2019 act, aim to make students feel safe and supported. 

Senate Bill 93, sponsored by Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield, would remove such language from state law, but Meredith’s bill has yet to receive a committee hearing. 

“The trauma-informed approach is working,” Wise said. “And with that, let’s not confuse anybody by taking something out if it’s working well right now.” 

Wise’s bill would also require the Kentucky Department of Education to annually give the Kentucky Board of Education and Legislative Research Commission a summary of data gathered on trauma-informed approaches in schools. Such information includes the number and types of mental health service providers in schools and coordination of evidence-based training for school staff on childhood trauma-related experiences. 

Wise noted other school shootings across the country that have made headlines since the Marshall County shooting, including the deaths at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and The Covenant School, in Nashville, Tennessee. He said the “layered approach” of his bill is aimed at filling gaps for schools in Kentucky. 

“If the SRO is not available within a school district, here’s an opportunity,” Wise said. “Here’s another outlet for them to be able to contract with and work with.”

Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com. Follow Kentucky Lantern on Facebook and Twitter.