Legislators hear testimony on bill to prevent school shootings

By Jordan Mazza

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A new bill aims to create a clear plan for preventing the next school shooting.

“It kind of gets your heart rate going a little bit because they talk about it very explicitly as if this were to happen,” said teacher and parent Kari Kurto of Wakefield. “And it’s very frightening, and I think about my own children, sitting in their classroom.”

The bill is based on recommendations the state school safety committee made after the Parkland school shooting in Florida.

The focus is trying to catch warning signs, whether in person or on social media.

“There’s always some signs there of these particular students having some issues,” said Rhode Island State Police Captain Derek Borek, the chairman of the Rhode Island School Safety Committee. “And unfortunately, a lot of the schools don’t know how to handle those issues.”

The bill calls for a threat assessment team at every school in the state, comprised of guidance, administration, law enforcement, and mental health experts.

It would be their job to recognize potential threats, and educate students and staff on how to do the same.

The safety committee chairman says it’s better to be safe than sorry.

“You have to investigate every threat,” Borek said. “Because the one time you don’t take it serious, then something bad could happen.”

The ACLU of Rhode Island says it supports the bill, but believes it needs a stronger provision for immediate parental notification.

“The students deserve to have a trusted adult with them if they’re being assessed for a potential threat on campus,” said Hannah Stern of the ACLU.

But the consensus at the State House is that this is a reality we all must face.

“It’s frightening,” Kurto said. “Unfortunately it’s necessary in this day and age.”

Borek says the plan is to train members of the assessment teams within a year.

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