Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a budget Thursday that provides additional funding for school safety, student mental health and reading support.
The $125 million spending includes funding for literacy instruction and dyslexia services. Whitmer said schools will also have funding for campus resource officers, alarm systems and other safety improvements.
“We are focused on improving student outcomes, improving classroom safety, and providing people with the comprehensive support they need,” she said. “I’m proud of the work, but there’s always more work to be done.”
The governor signed the bill at an elementary school, surrounded by students and Democratic lawmakers.
Whitmer said the school safety grant is a somber recognition that gun violence in schools is an almost daily occurrence in the United States, and the new law builds on previous gun safety legislation she signed. said. This includes laws that would require households where minors have access to guns to keep them locked when not in use.
Some Republican lawmakers withheld support for a bill that would create a tip line for students to report unsafely stored firearms. The bill was one of several that ultimately passed and was signed into law by Whitmer on Thursday.
