Manning’s SAVE Students Act passes in the General Assembly

State Rep. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) announces that House Bill 123 passed in the General Assembly.

Manning is a primary sponsor of the bipartisan legislation, also known as the Safety and Violence Education for Students Act (SAVE Students Act), which expands safety and violence prevention measures for schools across the state, according to a news release from Manning.

The bill moved forward Nov. 19 after the House concurred with Senate amendments that were previously adopted back in July of this year, the release said.

“As a retired teacher, I want to do everything I can to ensure that our children are in a safe environment,” Manning said. “I am pleased to see this move forward today as this bill takes several steps to make sure school safety is a priority in our education system throughout Ohio.”

The bill ensures that:

• Schools serving grades 6-12 to administer annual youth violence prevention trainings each year and to train teachers on suicide awareness and prevention.

• Schools serving grades 6-12 have a trained threat assessment team that works to address threats.

• School districts contract with an anonymous reporting system. Students are able to anonymously report threats or safety concerns to officials so they can be addressed in a timely manner.

The Senate amendments to the legislation included funding for a drop out recovery e-schools pilot program, the release said.

Another amendment changed a provision requirement to simply allowing school buildings serving grades 6-12 to establish a student led violence prevention club upon their decision, according to the release.

The legislation now heads to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.