The Kentucky Office of the State School Security Marshal released a report on the security of Commonwealth schools. The annual School Safety Risk Assessment Report shows 99.8 percent of Kentucky’s more than 1,300 schools comply with regulations. The report outlines schools must have electronic-locking front doors, surveillance, locked classroom doors, and classroom window coverings.
Bradley Walker is Director of Pupil Personnel for Carter County Schools. He said all schools in the district exceed state safety requirements.
“We have videos or cameras across the building, we have those. Those are not necessarily all required, they’re just above and beyond. We also have metal detectors in our middle schools and high schools, and those have been there for twenty-plus years,” said Walker.
Walker added other safety measures Carter County schools have in place.
“So, we have things like that set up in place. We have corridors, foyers, things like that, are locked. We have things above and beyond some of our settings that are required by the assessment report,” said Walker.
In 2022, Governor Beshear provided schools with $18.2 million in funding for enhanced security in the state budget.
House Bill 63 outlines all schools must employ a student resource officer. Since House Bill 63’s ratification in 2022, there has been a 61.8 percent increase in SROs in Kentucky schools. Officials report all Rowan County schools have an SRO on site.
Governor Beshear recently transferred SRO training from the Department of Criminal Justice Training to the Office of the State School Security Marshal. Training for those employees will now occur regionally. Kentuckians are encouraged to report information that may cause harm to schools to the STOP! Tipline or safeschools.ky.gov.