SHIELD Act proposes security grants for Minnesota schools

White Bear Lake High School junior Lauryn Belz said she and many of her fellow students don’t feel safe at school, citing numerous lockdowns at schools throughout Minnesota.

“As a student, I believe that it is of the utmost importance that students feel safe in their schools,” she said, calling for funding to create safer school environments.

Rep. Elliott Engen (R-White Bear Township) believes the Legislature should be protecting the safety of all students and school officials. He’s calling his bill, HF15, the "Safe Haven In Every Local District (SHIELD) Act."

“We are talking about something that is really meaningful, and it is a generational impact. And I think that what you’re doing here to protect kids is important,” said Rep. Heather Keeler (DFL-Moorhead).

The House Education Policy Committee approved the bill, as amended, on a voice vote Wednesday and sent it to the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee.

The SHIELD Act, in part, would fund the commissioner of public safety to issue school security grants to school districts and charter schools for the purpose of installing comprehensive, multilayered and integrated security systems, including an evaluation of a school’s current security systems, and training for school staff on using the security systems.

“We want to beef up our comprehensive school safety approach by allowing there to be a new funding mechanism for schools to provide that innovative tangible security,” Engen said.

Bret Domstrand, principal of Lake Marion Elementary School in Lakeville, said his school recently underwent a security upgrade, installing many of the security systems the SHIELD Act lays out. Because of those upgrades, Domstrand said they can now move more than 700 students to safety in less than 60 seconds.

“The relief I feel knowing we can secure our building so quickly is indescribable,” he said. “Thanks to improved procedures and reinforcements, we have measures in place that buy us the critical time we need until help arrives. These changes don’t just provide security, they provide piece of mind.”

But Rick Kaufman, the executive director of community relations and emergency management for Bloomington Public Schools, said the bill’s one-size-fits-all solution isn’t the answer. Kaufman was the executive director of public engagement and communications for Columbine High School at the time of the 1999 school shooting there.

“I have serious concerns this bill overemphasizes physical security measures at the expense of proven prevention strategies,” he said. “No amount of bullet-resistant doors or access controls will prevent a motivated attacker.”