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Committee hears HF 3602 to set evidence‑based school‑safety standards and advisory council
Summary
HF 3602 would broaden Minnesota’s school‑safety framework to emphasize evidence‑based prevention, behavioral threat assessment, and a school‑safety advisory council; witnesses urged careful implementation funding and operational expertise before new mandates.
House File 3602, which the committee moved forward with an adopted author’s amendment, would strengthen Minnesota’s school‑safety framework by directing a focus on evidence‑based prevention practices, behavioral threat assessment, and the creation of a school‑safety advisory council that includes students and survivors.
Aurora Vasquez of Sandy Hook Promise said the bill correctly narrows the scope of school plans to human‑caused safety incidents and urges evidence before physical modifications. "Let's not wait until a school shooting is unfolding to test effectiveness," she told the committee.
Rick Kaufman, who has decades of school crisis and emergency-management experience, praised the prevention focus but cautioned that the bill creates parallel review and reporting requirements without dedicated funding for local behavioral threat-assessment teams and training. "Plans only work when people are supported, trained, and given time to carry them out," Kaufman said.
Coauthors and members characterized HF 3602 as a piece of a broader policy puzzle—one that should be paired with funding and implementation support. The committee approved an A1 amendment by voice vote and laid the bill over for additional consideration.
Next steps: The bill will be part of omnibus discussions; committee members asked authors and witnesses to clarify implementation costs and advisory‑council membership before moving forward.
