Rep. Bakeberg: School Safety Agreement Delivers New Tools for Minnesota Schools

Saint Paul –  Over the weekend, the Minnesota House advanced a school safety agreement that delivers new resources and options to help schools protect students, respond to threats, and support student mental health.

Rep. Ben Bakeberg, R-Jordan, said the agreement includes several school safety measures moving through different bills. In HF 2433, lawmakers approved $5 million to help implement anonymous threat reporting systems. Schools will have the option to adopt a local plan, participate in a statewide plan, or choose not to participate. The funding will be available to public, nonpublic, and Tribal schools.

“As a principal, I know school safety is not a talking point. It is something families, students, teachers, and school staff think about every day,” Bakeberg said. “We believe in protecting every student, regardless of what school they attend. These measures give schools more tools and more flexibility to identify threats, respond quickly, and keep kids safe.”

Other pieces of the agreement are moving in separate bills, including funding for School-Linked Behavioral Health Grants, Mobile Crisis Grants, anti-grooming and maltreatment prevention protections, and supplemental compensatory revenue for schools impacted most by the 2023 compensatory revenue formula change.

Bakeberg said House Republicans pushed for a larger school safety plan earlier this session but were unable to secure enough support from across the aisle to move the full proposal forward. Still, he said the final agreement includes meaningful pieces that will help schools and students.

“House Republicans have been fighting all session for more school safety funding and more options for schools,” Bakeberg said. “This agreement is not the full plan we brought forward, but it does deliver real resources for public, nonpublic, and Tribal schools. Protecting students should come before politics, and I am glad these provisions are moving forward.”