Governor Unveils Strategic Plan For School Safety

Governor Roy Cooper's office unveiled a new school safety plan at a summit held Monday in Greensboro.

The gathering was convened at UNC-Greensboro, where attendees were provided with a detailed overview of the new State Action Plan For School Safety. The five-year strategic plan was presented to state leaders in education, public safety, public health, and criminal justice.

Officials were told how the plan was developed over the past two years and learned about the guiding principles which were incorporated to provide direction.

According to a news release, those include a commitment to a fair and do-no-harm approach, the importance of preventing incidents before they occur, and adhering to available data and evidence-based practices. The plan also provides guidance on responding to and recovering from incidents of school violence.

Governor Cooper delivered a pre-recorded video message to the attendees, saying that “this partnership among state agencies, school districts and local law enforcement can help stop tragedies in our schools before they even happen.”

The implementation of the plan will be overseen by the N.C. Task Force on Safer Schools.