BOISE, Idaho — A bill moving through the Idaho House aims to improve school safety by reducing the size of the Idaho School Safety and Security Advisory Board.
Rep. Jack Nelsen, R-Jerome, said the board has struggled to function due to its size.
"House Bill 42 shrinks the size of the school safety commission from a larger group down to six members," Nelsen said. "The driver behind this is that the former numbers couldn’t ever make quorum. It was a huge issue."
The bill would establish a smaller board with members appointed by the Governor, the legislature, and the State Board of Education. Nelsen argued that the change would make the board more effective.
"Shrinking the size of the committee has absolutely nothing to do with reducing the importance or the resources of this committee," he said. "It’s simply to make an achievable quorum so they can do business."
Nelsen emphasized that school safety remains a critical concern, particularly in rural areas where law enforcement response times vary.
"Lots of rural schools are a long distance and time for law enforcement to ever get there, and for the first 10, 15 minutes, sadly, they’re on their own," he said.
As the bill moves forward, lawmakers will debate whether a smaller board will lead to a stronger response to school safety threats.
