Markell launches upgrade for school security

Governor Markell wants Delaware schools to improve on their efforts to keep students safe.  

“We want to make sure that all of our schools have solid safety plans.  Right now, not all of them do.  The quality of the school safety plans varies considerably,” Markell says.  He’s assigned Secretary of Safety and Homeland Security Lewis Schiliro to work with the State Police to come up with a model plan for school safety that can be emulated at schools throughout the state.

That plan will detail responses to various threats including fires, gas leaks, bomb threats, kidnappings, shootings, severe weather, student riots, or other situations.  Currently, all schools are required to have an emergency response plan, but what that plan covers, or how the schools respond, is not mandated.  

School Resource Officers and others will start working with school officials in September.  Response plans for individual schools should be completed by the end of the next school year.

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