RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The Latest on a North Carolina House study committee making school safety recommendations (all times local):
11:55 a.m.
A legislative committee has agreed to more than a dozen recommendations on how to improve K-12 school safety in North Carolina that leave out any new gun restrictions or harsher penalties for bringing weapons to schools or threatening mass violence.
The House panel voted unanimously Thursday for the proposals, which will likely be debated by the General Assembly when it returns next week for its annual work session.
The approved recommendations include more training for school police officers and funding for districts to hire officers along with counselors, nurses, social workers. Schools also would be subject to annual vulnerability reviews and have teams that help identify high-risk students for violence.
Discussions since March veered away from background check or gun sale measures backed by Democrats. Republicans leading the committee generally oppose further gun restrictions and note the recommendations have bipartisan support.
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3:10 a.m.
A legislative committee looking to improve North Carolina school and student safety following the Florida school shooting in February is finalizing its recommendations days before the General Assembly session begins.
The House panel meets Thursday and will consider ideas that surfaced following committee testimony in recent weeks.
One subcommittee recommends mandated training for police officers assigned to school campuses and routine vulnerability reviews for school buildings. The other subcommittee says more counselors, nurses, social workers should be hired for schools and teams created to help identify students exhibiting threatening behavior.
The full House and Senate would have to vote for any changes during the session. Such legislation then would go to Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk. Cooper has made safety recommendations, but he also wants tougher gun sale restrictions, too.
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