Students who helped prompt the Legislature’s school-safety work urged the Louisiana K–12 School Safety Task Force on Wednesday to prioritize security in school design, centralize threat reporting and require drills during high‑traffic periods.

The students’ testimony came as the task force — created by SCR 40 and supported by the School Safety Act of 2023 — begins converting advisory ideas into implementable recommendations.

The student presenters said safety features added during design and renovation can be cheaper and more effective than retrofits. “When safety is built into our school's infrastructures, students will be and feel safe,” said Sienna Newton, a senior at Saint Scholastica Academy. Lincoln Trumps, a Lafayette High senior who said he attends the first graduating class at a recently built $100,000,000 campus there, criticized design choices that sacrifice security for aesthetics: “I feel in a certain way, sometimes we're willing to prioritize aesthetics over safety.”

Students described specific gaps the task force can address. Sophia Montalbano, a Saint Joseph’s Academy senior, said some schools lack a centralized system to vet threats and recommended closer ties to the state Fusion Center to help distinguish credible from baseless social‑media reports. Students also said drills should cover “high vulnerability” times such as passing periods, lunch and class changes — times when the School Safety Act of 2023 and earlier work by the Legislative Youth Advisory Council identified elevated risk.

Task force Chair Sen. Rick Edmonds praised the student presentations as the “brainchild” of the Legislative Youth Advisory Council and said the students’ fieldwork — including visits with architects and tours of Discovery Charter school — had produced practical observations the panel will consider.

The students offered near‑term, concrete suggestions: require certified security review during the design phase for new schools and major renovations; institute statewide, periodic (students recommended every three years) school safety assessments by Louisiana State Police; and ensure serious threats are reported to the Fusion Center and local law enforcement. Students said some recommended changes are low‑cost (convex mirrors, signage, reorganized visitor access) while others will require funding and legislative direction.

The task force did not vote on any measures. Members asked students to provide written summaries and supporting material; several members said the panel will invite architects and local officials (including Lafayette officials who worked on the new Lafayette High project) to present design plans at a future meeting.

The panel left the student testimony on the record as the task force’s initial, actionable input and invited the students to return for future meetings.