ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The governor of Maryland has finished appointing the 19 members required for the new Task Force on School Safety.
Senator Roy Dyson (D-29) introduced the bill that created the task force. The bill was originally introduced in 2004 but was not initially passed by the Senate or House of Delegates. The General Assembly eventually signed the bill into law on May 16, 2006, but by the beginning of the 2006 school year the governor had yet to name any appointees.
It was not until after the deadly shootings at a Pennsylvania Amish schoolhouse that the governor’s office, in conjunction with the president of the Senate, the speaker of the House, the superintendent of schools, the Maryland Association of Boards of Education, the Maryland State police, and the attorney general of Maryland, appointed the task force’s 19 members.
The task force will study school violence as well as state schools’ emergency preparedness plans. The task force is composed of members representing a variety of perspectives, from school bus drivers to students themselves.
