Feb. 20—In an effort to make Oklahoma schools safer, Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, filed Senate Bill 100, which is on its way to the Senate floor after receiving unanimous approval by the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday.

Sen. Pemberton, who was named chair of the bipartisan School Safety Working Group by Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat last fall, filed the bill after its members gave recommendations.

“It’s imperative that we assess each of our 2,059 school sites, including public and private schools and CareerTechs, to ensure these facilities are as safe as possible and that there are proper administrative protocols in place to quickly address any emergency,” Pemberton said. “Sadly, we’re seeing more and more people suffering from untreated mental illness and misguided hostility that unfortunately often leads to innocent people getting hurt or killed. Our schools should be a peaceful sanctuary for our students and faculty, and these assessments will provide districts with guidance on how to properly secure their buildings.”

Each school district would be required to have a risk and vulnerability assessment by the Oklahoma School Security Institute. The assessment would need to be completed by July 1, 2026.

If a school district has already been assessed in the last two years, they would be exempt. For all other school districts, re-assessments would be conducted every five years.

The OSSI currently has only six employees and Pemberton asked that 10 additional staff members be hired to conduct the assessments over the next three years.

Estimated costs to conduct the assessments will be approximately $1.4 million per year, according to the agency.

SB 100 was co-authored by Rep. Dick Lowe, R-Amber. The measure is on its way to the full Senate to be taken under consideration.