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State legislation would require security features in school design
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
Districts planning new school buildings would have to include security measures in the designs, under legislation being considered in the Ohio House.
Rep. John Rogers, D-Mentor-On-The-Lake, said HB 446 would be another measure to help protect students, teachers and staff.
“Requiring the incorporation of safety features during the initial building design would make these enhancements much more affordable, as opposed to expensive remodeling or retrofitting,” Rogers told the House’s Education Committee, where the bill recently had its first hearing.
The legislation outlines a variety of security features, including surveillance video, entryway metal detectors, panic buttons and direct entrances and exits accessible only from inside classrooms.
New school buildings would have to have at least two such security features under HB 446, Rogers said.
“Schools would have final discretion over which features to include and would be encouraged to include more if they so choose,” he said. “One would hope that current school design and construction methods include this type of proactive planning. This legislation, I believe, would help ensure it.”
The Ohio Department of Education would required to adopt specific rules for implementing the proposed law change, and the state’s School Facilities Commission would be responsible for reviewing plans for compliance with the security requirements.