Friends,
Winter is making one (hopefully) last stand this weekend. Spring does have to come eventually, right? Either way, stay safe out on the roads this weekend!
Legislation to Protect High School Students
This Tuesday in the Public Safety committee there was a hearing on my bill to protect high school aged students from predatory sexual behavior from teachers or others in a position of authority. Under this bill, it extends to high school students ages 16-21 the protections afforded to other minors from adults who may abuse or take advantage of their position of authority. My bill was held over for possible inclusion in a larger public safety bill later in session.
A KARE 11 investigation revealed multiple cases across Minnesota, including in Burnsville, where county prosecutors were not able to prosecute teachers who had entered into sexual relations with students at their school because the student was 18.
As an educator myself, it was incredibly disturbing to see reports of these incidents. I believe teachers need to be held to a higher standard and I am determined to make sure there are consequences for those who abuse the power and trust our parents and schools have given them. We must look out for the safety of our students.
Teachers who take advantage of kids should be in jail. Period.
Savage Kids Family and Home Expo
This Saturday, April 14, 2018, at the Savage Sports Dome is the Savage Kids Family and Home Expo from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm. I will be volunteering at the Savage Rotary table at the event from 8:30 to 10:30. Come by and say hi!
School Safety Package
Before we took a break for Easter & Passover, we unveiled a legislative package aimed at putting student safety first. We have taken a multifaceted approach that includes more resources to meet the needs of students and schools statewide which includes everything from hiring more school resource officers, student counselors and mental health professionals to making critical building security upgrades.
We have listened to school officials, teachers, students, and parents in our local communities to bring forward this comprehensive approach to making our students safer. I am especially proud of the inclusion of my proposal to provide reimbursement for school safety audits for schools. The state government funding security audits will allow schools to know what vulnerabilities there are and what upgrades can be made to properly protect students. This is a concrete step we can take today to make our children safer.
The following solutions, authored by numerous House members, are currently advancing through the public committee process:
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School resource officers, student support personnel, and other school security programs funded through increased Safe Schools revenue, including a floor level of funding for small schools authored by Reps. Barb Haley, R-Red Wing and Anna Wills, R-Rosemount.
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School building security upgrades, and expanded use of Long-Term Facility Maintenance revenue for security projects, including emergency communications systems authored by Rep. Jenifer Loon, R-Eden Prairie.
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School-linked mental health programming to ensure better outcomes for all kids authored by Rep. Jeff Backer, R-Browns Valley.
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Physical security audit grants to provide state assistance to review facility security and crisis management policies authored by Reps. Randy Jessup, R-Shoreview and Drew Christensen, R-Savage.
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Suicide prevention training for teachers to help educators learn how to engage and assist students experiencing mental distress authored by Rep. Dario Anselmo, R-Edina.
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School-based threat assessment teams established to assess, intervene, and report threats facing students, teachers, and staff authored by Rep. Keith Franke, R-St. Paul Park.
As always, please continue to stay in touch to share your thoughts and ideas. You can schedule a time to meet with me in my office anytime by calling my office at (651) 296-9463 or share your thoughts via email by emailing me at rep.drew.christensen@house.mn.
Have a great weekend!
Drew