Collins Prepares School Violence Prevention Bill
Saying state officials need to be "proactive instead of reactive," Rep. Wallace Collins plans to file legislation that would make it easier for school officials to identify troubled students and prevent school violence.
"We're all aware of the school shootings that have taken place in this country in recent years," said Collins, D-Norman. "In many cases, officials realized there was a problem well before a student went on a rampage, but failed to deal with it. I believe the state needs to do a better job identifying troubled students and addressing their problems before an attack occurs."
When doing online research on the topic, Collins said he found"page after page" of school-shooting stories from across the nation and world.
The latest incident occurred Monday when the University of Memphis campus was temporarily locked down after the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old football player.
Last April, Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho went on a rampage and killed more than 30 people. Cho reportedly had a history of mental problems.
Closer to home, a 13-year-old boy opened fire on his classmates at Fort Gibson, Oklahoma in 1999, wounding several fellow students.
"After the Virginia Tech shooting, a lot of people said they saw warning signs but failed to act, and now 30-some people are dead because of it," Collins said. "We can't afford to repeat that mistake in Oklahoma."
The Norman Democrat's legislation will call for implementing a pilot program in Oklahoma schools that will place licensed social workers on site to provide assistance when teachers identify potential problem students.
"A lot of these kids need help, such as medication or counseling," Collins said. "If teachers feel a student is potentially dangerous, they should be able to refer that student to social workers who have expertise dealing with emotionally troubled individuals. By intervening early, we could eliminate the likelihood of future school shootings."
Collins is still drafting his legislation, which would be filed for the 2008 legislative session that begins next February.
"We're all aware of the school shootings that have taken place in this country in recent years," said Collins, D-Norman. "In many cases, officials realized there was a problem well before a student went on a rampage, but failed to deal with it. I believe the state needs to do a better job identifying troubled students and addressing their problems before an attack occurs."
When doing online research on the topic, Collins said he found"page after page" of school-shooting stories from across the nation and world.
The latest incident occurred Monday when the University of Memphis campus was temporarily locked down after the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old football player.
Last April, Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho went on a rampage and killed more than 30 people. Cho reportedly had a history of mental problems.
Closer to home, a 13-year-old boy opened fire on his classmates at Fort Gibson, Oklahoma in 1999, wounding several fellow students.
"After the Virginia Tech shooting, a lot of people said they saw warning signs but failed to act, and now 30-some people are dead because of it," Collins said. "We can't afford to repeat that mistake in Oklahoma."
The Norman Democrat's legislation will call for implementing a pilot program in Oklahoma schools that will place licensed social workers on site to provide assistance when teachers identify potential problem students.
"A lot of these kids need help, such as medication or counseling," Collins said. "If teachers feel a student is potentially dangerous, they should be able to refer that student to social workers who have expertise dealing with emotionally troubled individuals. By intervening early, we could eliminate the likelihood of future school shootings."
Collins is still drafting his legislation, which would be filed for the 2008 legislative session that begins next February.
Labels: School Shootings, Wallace Collins
posted by Mike McCarville @ 11:29 AM
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