RALEIGH, N.C. -- School safety has been top of mind for our state lawmakers, even before Friday's school shooting in Texas.
On the first two days of the short session, North Carolina lawmakers filed several bills aimed at school safety. From a push to get more school psychologists, to more school resource officer training, the proposed laws focus on security and preparedness.
House Bill 939 calls, in part, on yearly vulnerability checks at schools. That's something Winston-Salem Forsyth County schools already started this year, with Glenn High School principal Brad Craddock swapping schools with Donald Wyatt, principal at Sedge Garden Elementary.
"It happened out of a conversation," says Brad Craddock, principal at Glenn High School in Kernersville, in an interview back in March. "I was like anytime you want to come to my place and look around and get a fresh set of eyes on some of my issues and I'll return the favor and come to your place and look at your campus with a fresh set of eyes."
"It was just a basic overall safety audit of each other's campus," Craddock said in an interview in March.
Another bill, HB 932, would establish a statewide anonymous safety tip line for schools. Guilford County Schools already has one in place through Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers, where students can text 'FIVE-O' to anonymously report a concern or a crime.
"Students are at school to learn and grow," said Stacey Finch, while explaining the student tip line to WFMY News 2. "They shouldn't have to worry about crime interfering with their education."
GCS is also working to budget for a safety command center and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page is working to put an armed school resource officer in every school. One of the bills could help with that, calling for more funding for SROs.
"That gives peace of mind to the teachers, the principals, the students and the parents," Sheriff Page explained.
Another bill calls for threat assessment teams in all schools or districts. In part, teams would look out for and help students who might pose a threat to others.
A lot of these new bills have bipartisan support and call for changes starting as soon as next school year.
To look at all bills filed by date, click here.