Lansing Sun

State leaders touted investments made to secure the safety of schools as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proclaimed the week of Oct. 19 as Safe Schools Week

According to a news release by the state government, the Whitmer administration touted its $460 million venture toward school safety and mental health support.

“Every kid deserves to feel safe in school so they can stay focused on learning and pursue their potential,” Whitmer said in the release. “I am proud of the record, bipartisan $460 million investment in school safety and mental health we secured in the most recent education budget, including—for the first time ever—dedicated, per-student resources specifically for schools to bolster on-campus safety and mental health services. The budget investments, legislation on critical incidence mapping and funding to hire more school resources officers proves that we can work together to ensure every parent, teacher, staff member and student feels safe and supported at school.”

Funds will also be used to bolster Michigan State Police programs to enhance the security on school grounds that is backed by bipartisan legislation. The objective is to provide a safe environment that students can learn in.

"I have spent the past several months visiting schools all across Michigan to learn more about the investments made by our local districts to help keep kids safe,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said. "While districts, educators and staff work diligently to use whatever resources they can to provide a safer learning environment for students, we must do everything we can to better protect our kids. As attorney general, I know the passage of legislation like Safe Storage bills, combined with more resources for schools to make physical improvements and hire more counselors, are commonsense policies to better protect our children.”

Whitmer signed the bipartisan education budget in July that accounted for the biggest state per-student investment in state history. Exactly $210 million was marked for school safety and $250 million for mental health resources. The funds equate to every student in the state receiving $214 in order to improve their mental health and safeguard them while in class.