On Thursday, March 15, the PA House Education Committee will hold a hearing to discuss school safety. We expect lawmakers to hear testimony that will inform critical decisions they will make in the future about arming teachers, placing resource and police officers in schools, and providing funding for programs that will improve school climate and school safety.

Can you come to this hearing in Harrisburg at 9:00 on Thursday, March 15, to show support for arming schools with resources instead of guns and police? Click HERE for details and to sign up.

Signs are not allowed in the hearing room, but you may hold them outside of the room before and after the hearing to share your message with lawmakers and the press.

Improving school safety will require multifaceted approaches that will vary based on school districts’ needs and values. Lawmakers must resist the impulse to reduce this issue to simply “hardening” schools and putting armed security forces in them.

In addition, if lawmakers actually care about student safety, they need back up their rhetoric with new, sustainable funding to support healthy learning environments for our children and help prevent violent incidents from occurring in the first place.

In the upcoming weeks and months PA lawmakers will continue to discuss issues of school safety and school funding. Ultimately, they will vote on a state budget. We will closely follow legislation that would impact school safety and keep you informed.  If you can’t come to the hearing, don’t worry. You will have plenty of opportunities to make your voice heard as school safety and legislative budget proposals take shape.