School Safety

Students are heading back to school, and since the last school year, we have done a lot at the state level to ensure their safety in the classroom.

I introduced a bill in the spring that would require schools to have a counselor on hand to identify and treat students with mental health issues before they became a threat to themselves or their classmates. That legislation was included as part of Act 44, which also includes:

• $60 million in grant money to provides schools with the resources they need to make facility upgrades or start mental health programs, and also address community violence as a larger issue
  
  
• Creating a new School Safety and Security Committee to help develop safety and security assessment to provide schools with guidance on how to improve facilities and school climate,
  
  
• Requiring the State Police to create Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Teams (RVAT) to work with school districts to conduct school safety and security assessments,
  
  
• Requiring school districts to appoint a school safety and security coordinator that is directly accountable to the district superintendent,
  
  
• Expanding the powers and responsibilities of school police or school resource officers, and
  
  
• Creating the Safe2Say program, which provide an anonymous hotline for individuals to report unsafe, potentially harmful, dangerous, violent or criminal activities in schools to the Attorney General’s Office.

During this school year, the $60 million in funding will reach schools to make improvements to their security and safety programs and the Safe2Say program is already operational. These programs will be helpful, and I am confident that our schools will make marked improvements in their security.

Recovery Month

September is recognized nationally as Recovery Month to honor the work being done to combat addiction and celebrate those who are in recovery from substance abuse disorder. To commemorate those noble aims, the Pennsylvania Senate Democrats will host six open houses on addiction across the state.

At each of these events, attendees will have the ability to talk to recovery specialists, family counselors, experts from legal clinics, witness a Narcan demonstration, take home a safe prescription disposal bag, and much much more. Some of the many partners include:

In the 43rd – Clemente Museum

In this episode of #InThe43rd, I went to the museum of The Great One - Roberto Clemente. I learned a lot about Clemente as a player and a humanitarian. If you get a chance, check out the museum and in the meantime, check out this episode!

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