DENVER – Colorado legislators will form an interim school safety committee in the wake of the STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting, state House and Senate leadership announced on Friday.
The bipartisan committee will "examine issues related to school safety, mental health, and the prevention of threats" to school safety, according to a news release from House Speaker KC Becker's office.
The committee will meet three times during the interim session over the rest of the year and will be able to hear testimony from experts and recommend legislation. Two members from each party in both the House and the Senate will be appointed to the committee by June 1.
“We must do more to help examine and address this crisis, so this committee will study this critical issue over the interim and report back to the legislature on what they've learned and what solutions may be found," Becker said in the announcement.
The May 7 STEM School shooting resulted in the death of senior student Kendrick Castillo, 18, and eight other students were injured. Castillo and three other students charged one of the suspected shooters, disarming him and saving lives in the process, officials and witnesses have said.
The shooting reignited the discussion over school safety, including whether more school security is needed and the resources for mental health services. Earlier this week, the Board of Douglas County Commissioners voted unanimously to redirect $10 million toward public school safety and possible additional mental health services in response to the shooting.
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