WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Georgia Republican David Perdue and Alabama Democrat Doug Jones generally stay on their sides of the aisle in the U.S. Senate. But when it comes to keeping schools safe.
“It means that this is not a partisan issue,” Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) said.
“The more that we could share with each other the better,” Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) added.
The lawmakers are working together to create a national database to allow local and state officials to share their best practices for school safety.
The “School Safety Clearinghouse Act” would be the first federally coordinated and federally funded effort to improve overall safety.
“When we have our kids go to a public school there’s this inherent agreement that we’re going to make those kids safe and so this the first step of really trying to do what is just common sense actually,” Perdue added.
The database would; be managed by the Department of Homeland Security and include recommendations from first responders, mental health advocates, and building security experts.
The Federal Commission on School Safety recommended something like what Perdue and Jones are proposing last year.
Many schools across the country have already stepped up their security measures.
Like ID scans at entrances, built-in lockdown features and upgraded windows with shatter-resistant glass.
Jones said the bill doesn’t address gun violence specifically which he hopes will soon become a part of the conversation in Congress.
“That would help more than anything but this is important,” Jones added.
Currently, neither Florida Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio have signed on to this bill following its introduction in Sept. 2019.
