LINCOLN- LB516, introduced by Sen. Lynne Walz and presented to the Legislature's Education Committee on Monday, would implement several recommendations from the State's School Safety Task Force, which was led by Walz and then-Education Commissioner Matt Blomstedt. Walz cited the recent Uvalde, Texas shooting as the main reason she introduced LB516, saying that that shooting "really put a spotlight on safety, security, and preparedness practices" in schools.

If passed, LB516 would hire a regional specialist to provide tailor support and increased training, appropriate funds to support the Safe2HelpNE reporting hotline, create a $15 million grant program related to safety infrastructure, and establish another $5 million grant for schools to hire mental health practitioners and school psychologists.

"The fact of the matter is that none of us want to believe something like this will happen here," Walz told the Education Committee, "But we have had a few incidents, and we need to be prepared for future ones." Nebraska's School Safety Task Force was created just two days after the May 24 shooting in Uvalde last year, and educators, parents, and the public were invited to participate.

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