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Governor unveils school safety plan

October 6, 1999
By: Lee McGuire
State Capital Bureau

Governor Carnahan says keeping your kids safe at school will be a top issue in the next legislative session. Lee McGuire has more from Jefferson City.

The Governor says it's time for the state to step in on the issue of school violence.

For one thing, he says gun manufacturers should install trigger locks on all new guns sold in the state. And he wants more counselors in schools to help students before they get into trouble.

There's no money for that yet, but the Governor says lawmakers need to make safety a priority.

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Contents: Governor Carnahan says the legislature will need to build on his report.

St. Louis City Republican Senator Anita Yeckel says lawmakers will probably be receptive to the governor's plan, but isn't sure how much of it would actually work. In Jefferson City, Lee McGuire, KMOX.

Seven months after the Columbine High School shootings in Colorado, Governor Carnahan says he has a plan to make Missouri's schools safer. Lee McGuire has the story from Jefferson City.

Keeping kids out of harm's way will be a priority for the Governor as he completes his term in office.

He's outlined dozens of ways school districts can improve their outreach and emergency-response programs. And although the Governor says Missouri schools are safe, he adds we've seen signs that action is needed. Just last month the entire Jefferson City school district was evacuated because of a bomb threat:

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Contents: Carnahan says the need for crisis planning is evident.

Some specific goals in the report are more counselors in schools, greater liability for parents, and tougher laws on drug use and posession. In Jefferson City, Lee McGuire, KMOX News.

Missourians could soon be seeing more laws on school safety, as Governor Carnahan unveils a plan for keeping violence out of the classroom. Lee McGuire has more from Jefferson City.

Warning that the state must act before violence strikes a Missouri classroom, the governor is urging the legislature to take up school safety when its session begins in January.

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Contents: He says to ignore this issue would be negligent.

Response to the governor's plan is mixed. St. Charles Republican Senator Steve Ehlmann says the state has already done a lot of work on the issue--in the Safe Schools Act, adopted five years ago. In Jefferson City, Lee McGuire, KMOX News.

Governor Carnahan today/Wednesday announced a new plan for keeping violence out of Missouri's schools. Lee McGuire has the story from Jefferson City.

Part of the Governor's plan calls for the legislature to make new laws--laws like requiring gun manufacturers to install trigger locks on new guns, and laws that would hold parents criminally liable for their children's actions.

St. Charles Republican Senator Steve Ehlmann says some of the suggestions in the Governor's plan have already been adopted; and others would be too expensive and impractical.

And St. Louis City Republican Anita Yeckel says she's skeptical but optimistic:

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Contents: She says it's an election year, so there's a good chance.

Lawmakers begin their next session in January. In Jefferson City, Lee McGuire, KMOX News.