A spokesperson for Governor Scott Walker said that the governor plans to sign school safety legislation Monday. This will happen at Victor Haen Elementary school in Kaukauna.
Assembly Republicans passed two school safety packages Thursday despite complaints from Democrats that neither goes far enough and GOP leaders are just trying to give their members campaign talking points.
School safety issues have weighed heavily on the Legislature since last month's mass shooting at a Florida high school left 17 people dead. About 3,000 students rallied at the state Capitol last week demanding tighter gun restrictions, putting Republicans who support gun rights in a political quandary.
Two days after the rally, Gov. Scott Walker introduced legislation that would hand schools $100 million for security upgrades, require mandatory child abuse reporters to report school threats to police and require schools to develop safety plans and drill their students on them annually.
The state Senate passed its own plan Tuesday that closely mirrors Walker's proposals. That legislation includes the $100 million for security upgrades but removes Walker's proposal to allow schools to share surveillance footage with police -- Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said schools already can do that -- and his mandate that schools notify parents of bullying incidents within 48 hours.
The Assembly passed the Senate plan on a 78-8 vote Thursday evening. It goes next to Walker for his signature.
