By Erin Smith
Governor Roy Cooper released his proposed budget on Thursday which calls for $130 million in funds to protect students and improve safety at schools.
“North Carolina’s classrooms must be safe and supportive places for educators to work and children to learn,” said Governor Cooper. “We should address both classroom security and youth mental health needs and my budget takes meaningful steps to prevent school violence and protect teachers and students.”
Some of the preposed improvements include:
*$65 million for public safety upgrades in public schools, state universities and community colleges.
*$40 million for student support services including school nurses, psychologists, counselors, and social workers to help identify and treat youth mental illness.
*$10 million for additional school resource officers
*$444,000 for the Department of Public Safety to create a School Risk Management program.
*$15 million for youth mental health programs.
Gov. Cooper has also proposed changes to state policy to create “extreme risk protection orders” which allows officials to ask the court system to remove guns from the possession of those who are “deemed to be a danger to themselves or someone else.” He has also proposed strengthening the background check system and requiring a background check before purchasing a AR-15 assault weapon.
Gov. Cooper is also proposing raising the legal age to purchase assault-type weapons to 21 in North Carolina and to make background checks a requirement at both gun stores and gun shows.
You can read Gov. Cooper’s entire proposal here: https://medium.com/@NC_
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