Raleigh, N.C. – The North Carolina House of Representatives again approved more than $67 million in state funding on Monday for school resource officers, threat assessment teams, mental health support personnel, and other priorities to strengthen security on K-12 campuses across the state currently blocked by the Governor’s budget veto.
House Bill 75 School Safety Funds, Programs, and Reports also funds grants for school safety equipment, and training and directs North Carolina’s Center for Safer Schools within the Department of Public Instruction to produce annual assessments of school safety needs.
The legislation establishes a need-based School Resource Officer Grants Program to administer funds to public schools with the directive that those funds supplement, not supplant, existing local funds for those officers.
The bill also funds eight full-time positions for sworn agents at the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) to support the Behavioral Threat Assessment (BETA) program.
Rep. John Torbett (R-Gaston) is a co-chair of the House Select Committee on School Safety and noted the legislature’s effort to not only provide funding, but better organization and understanding of campus security needs across North Carolina.
“These are comprehensive measures to address a top priority of this House, of parents and students, and all citizens of North Carolina concerned with school safety,” said Rep. Torbett.
“There is much more to come from our commitment to securing classrooms and education campuses across this state, and we appreciate the bipartisan collaboration on these critical needs.”
H.B. 75 has now passed the General Assembly and was sent to the Governor for consideration.