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Senate Judiciary backs interim study of school safety in Montana
Summary
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to concur in House Joint Resolution 53, which would commission an interim study of school safety across Montana to inventory adoption of the "10 essential actions" and identify gaps in training, resources and coordination.
Representative Brad Barker opened the hearing on House Joint Resolution 53, saying the bipartisan study would inventory implementation of the 10 essential actions for school safety and assess where state guidance and funding could reduce overlap and improve efficiency.
Proponents from education and school-safety nonprofits urged the committee to concur. Rob Watson, executive director of the School Administrators of Montana, said existing policies vary by district and asked that teachers be explicitly included in the study process. Tammy Lisonbee of the Montana Safe School Center told senators that Montana’s nearly 400 school districts and roughly 700 schools do not all have the same access to resources and training. Tina Hayes of the same center read a text from her son describing an unscheduled lockdown at Sentinel High School to illustrate how local training can matter in a real incident. Nancy Berg, executive director of the Montana Safe School Center (testifying remotely), described a recent case in which a student brought a gun to school and credited training with the safe resolution of that incident.
Brenda Carney of the Jeremy Bullock Memorial Trust and Jeremy’s father, Bill Bullock, urged lawmakers to authorize the study, saying a unified review would identify where statewide support is needed. Committee members asked whether the stakeholder list in the resolution should explicitly list teachers, parents and local school boards; proponents and the sponsor acknowledged the list may not be comprehensive and encouraged adding missing stakeholders.
Representative Barker said some districts already implement portions of the 10 essentials but that certain resources—like anonymous reporting systems—are costly or not integrated with law enforcement. He argued a statewide study would help determine whether state funding and coordinated guidance are needed and how to deploy taxpayer dollars efficiently.
After committee discussion, the Senate Judiciary Committee took executive action and, on a roll-call vote, concurred in House Joint Resolution 53 (recorded in committee as 5 yes, 3 no). The committee assigned a senator to carry the resolution forward.
