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School Safety Now is a non-partisan group of Rhode Island parents, educators, and community members who are concerned about the growing threat of violence in schools. We, the undersigned, respectfully wish to advocate for the Rhode Island General Assembly to vote to fund a full-time law enforcement officer at our elementary and secondary schools so our staff can teach and our children can learn without fear. This request is based on the following rationales:

• School shootings are growing in number, and elementary schools are increasingly being targeted.*
• Elementary schools are soft targets because they are largely not protected by law enforcement officers.
• Law enforcement officers are already deemed a valuable resource at the secondary level, yet we are falling short at the elementary level. Protection from violence should be uniform across the grade levels.
• The RI General Assembly funded law enforcement officers for many years, but failed to approve legislation (H 8310) in 2022 which would have renewed funding for this purpose. 
• Many groups in Rhode Island are working to reform gun laws. Others are endeavoring to improve mental health services. Our organization’s mission is unique in that we are solely focused on adding law enforcement officers to all of our schools as a final safeguard against harm.
• After 9/11, our country spent billions on added security, including hiring thousands of air marshals. 
• During COVID, Rhode Island spent millions to protect our most vulnerable populations. Our school children are still vulnerable to a different kind of threat.
• We already protect banks, hospitals, malls, jewelry stores, concerts, and state offices with armed security. 
• Many states already fund law enforcement officers for every school. Some Rhode Island districts already have them in elementary schools.
• Human error leads to many security breaches at schools. No technology or physical barrier is foolproof.
• Lockdown drills are a necessary, but traumatic, step that our children must endure in order to be safe. The knowledge that a law enforcement officer is there to defend them at all times would help alleviate anxiety. 
• School law enforcement officer response time to threats is superior to outside Law Enforcement.*
• Law enforcement officers have averted school violence in numerous, documented cases.*
• Students have turned to law enforcement officers to report potential threats before they become fatal.*
• School violence often starts with bullying.* SROs serve as mentors and helpers during unstructured times during the school day. They can report bullying to school counselors.
• Bullying often begins in early childhood and lasts for years.* SRO support at the elementary level is crucial. 
• For the majority of school shooters, their parents, teachers, and school administrators were unaware that they had been bullied.* Parents and school staff need SRO support.
• Law enforcement officers at the elementary level can provide an early positive influence. When students become adults, they are more likely to view police as people they can turn to for help.
• Mental health services in our schools are not sufficient to prevent all school shootings. In about half of all cases, schools could not have met the social emotional needs of school shooters because they were not students.*
• In the wake of another school shooting, we often say, “We need to do something,” to prevent this tragedy from happening again. This is something we can do.

*For the numerous studies on which these rationales are based, please go to our website. Also, please note that while this petition aims to demonstrate support for this mission, our General Assembly will best understand the need for law enforcement officers in all of our schools by reading your written testimony about this topic via email. Our website has instructions for how to reach your legislators: School Safety Now

School Safety Now- Tomorrow Could Be Too Late