House committee advances package of school-safety bills after testimony on 'Okay to Say' tip line

At a meeting of the House Education and Workforce Committee, members adopted substitute measures and voted to report a package of school-safety bills, including House Bill 42 29, after testimony about the "Okay to Say" tip line and clarifying amendments to how tips and notifications are defined and handled.

The bills considered included House Bill 42 22, House Bill 42 26, House Bill 42 27, House Bill 42 58, House Bill 42 59 and House Bill 42 29. Representative Steele presented testimony in support of HB 42 29 and a resident from Orion described the "Okay to Say" tip line as a confidential hotline that can be used when someone observes behavior that may suggest a risk of violence. The resident said, "since its implementation there was like 300 calls and now it's worked its way up to almost 12,000 calls," and described a proposal that the tip-line number be printed on student identification cards so students and staff can access it discreetly.

Gabrielle, staff to Representative Neely, summarized HB 42 29 as a requirement that the Office of School Safety compile and report tips, as defined in House Bill 42 59, to the School Safety and Mental Health Commission on a quarterly basis. Gabrielle said,…