Heidi Ganahl Announces Plan to Address School Safety

Republican gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl announced her 5-point plan to address school safety in a Campfire Colorado op-ed over the weekend:

Ganahl’s full op-ed can be found here on Campfire Colorado and take a look at her 5-point plan below:

5 Point Plan to Address School Safety

1. Launch a School Safety SWAT team that would be responsible for prescribing standards and protocols, assessing and guiding schools to meet them, and constantly reporting to the Governor.  The SWAT team would include experts in technology, mental health, education, public safety, the military, homeland security, and emergency services. (outlined in my School Safety 360 Program)
2. Create a School Safety Accountability Dashboard (by school and district) for parents, schools, and community leaders. By analyzing the incidents of physical attack, drug use, bullying, sexual assault, weapons possession, and school suspensions, these insights will assist stakeholders in their efforts to reduce violence and have the important conversations that need to take place between community members, their schools, and government officials.
3. Host a Governor’s School Safety Report to Colorado Parents live press conference monthly to track specific metrics so the public can hold the governor accountable for this effort. This will also assure our resources are moving the needle quickly and effectively.
4. Launch RECONNECT Colorado, a massive effort to educate and mobilize our community to address the mental health crisis we are experiencing.  Our focus will be on implementing the 988 hotline, drastically increasing access to online, live, and inpatient help, halting open air drug use, educating children and parents about drug and screen addiction and building Oasis centers (i.e., mental health urgent care) in schools, rec centers, libraries, and existing urgent cares.
5. Issue a Call for Innovation around school safety to evaluate and pilot new approaches to keep our children safe with a resource fund and an implementation team that can pilot the ideas quickly and efficiently that include students and parents.