BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The California State Senate has advanced a bill that would bolster safety in schools by increasing collaboration between schools, local and state agencies.
Senate Bill 1181, or the Valley Youth Safety Act, would establish a pilot program focused on identifying safety threats in schools by strengthening school district’s partnerships with local law enforcement and the California Office of Emergency Services — also known as Cal OES.
Specifically, the bill would increase collaboration between schools and emergency services to improve “threat assessment strategies” and strengthen early intervention efforts aiming to protect students, teachers and the broader community.
In a press release on Thursday from the office of Sen. Melissa Hurtado, who authored the bill, the pilot program” intends to help communities keep pace with rapidly evolving threats while rebuilding trust between institutions designed to maintain student and family safety.”
“Trust saves lives,” Hurtado said, who authored the bill. “Across California coordinated public safety efforts have helped rescue trafficked migrant children, identified victims of exploitation, and dismantled criminal networks targeting vulnerable immigrant communities.”
If enacted, the bill would require the pilot program in some California counties, including Fresno, Kern, Kings, Tulare, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.
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