Manweller introduces new bill to address school violence, hearing scheduled for Tuesday
Rep. Matt Manweller has introduced new legislation designed to prevent school shootings or violence by setting up an anonymous reporting system to school administrators.
House Bill 2442 creates the students protecting students program using a mobile app that would provide students with a fast, secure, and anonymous method of reporting activities or the threat of activities that are inappropriate, unsafe, harmful, dangerous, unethical, or illegal.
“As a father of two children in the public school system, I want to know they are safe when I drop them off at school in the morning. We want all of our kids to be safe,” said Manweller, R-Ellensburg. “At the same time, we need a system in place that students can feel safe when reporting threating, concerning or violent behavior. The students often know long before teachers and administrators when someone's behavior is raising red flags, but they need to feel like they can report it without repercussions or being threatened themselves.”
The school safety measure is not a new one for Manweller. He has introduced a school safety measure four times since 2015.
“I have taken pieces of the different school safety bills from the past and have incorporated them into one measure with the hope it will make it to the governor's desk. It should not be difficult to get a bill through the legislative process on this issue,” said Manweller. “We had another school shooting in Washington this fall. It is time to get some type of school safety measure in place.”
There have been three school shootings since 2014. The Marysville-Pilchuck High School shooting on Oct. 24, 2014, the North Thurston High School shooting on April 27, 2015, and Freeman High School on Sept. 13 of last year. Moses Lake also suffered a tragic school shooting in 1996.
The bill has been scheduled for a public hearing in the House Education Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 16.
