Bakeberg: School Safety Amendment Fails to Gain Bipartisan Support

ST. PAUL — Representative Ben Bakeberg, R-Jordan, offered the A6 amendment to SF 3432 on the House floor today to provide flexible school safety funding for schools across Minnesota. Unfortunately, the amendment could not did not pass.

The amendment would have provided additional safe schools aid that schools could use to address the specific needs in their local district, including school resource officers, building security, violence prevention, mental health staff support, emergency communications, and other local needs.

“Our students, teachers, staff, and families deserve safe schools, and the needs can look different from one building to the next,” Bakeberg said. “This amendment would have given schools flexible resources to address the specific challenges they’re facing.”

Bakeberg said the vote was especially disappointing given that the Legislature is moving quickly on enhanced security measures for politicians while school safety continues to wait.

“It’s simply unacceptable for the Legislature to move faster on enhanced security measures for politicians than it does on school safety,” Bakeberg said. “With limited time left in session, we should be doing everything we can to deliver for students, parents, families, and the communities we serve.”

“When it comes to school safety, the two parties clearly have different approaches,” Bakeberg added. “We can continue to focus on areas where we disagree, or we can come together, focus on the areas where we do agree, and actually deliver solutions for the people we serve.”