The Indiana state legislature ended their legislative session failing to pass a school security funding bill that arose in the aftermath of the Valentine’s Day school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Governor Holcomb had requested the additional money ($5 million) to support grants to schools to hire resources officers and purchase safety equipment. Indiana high school students, like many around the country, have lobbied at the state house for increased school safety measures and gun violence prevention measures. The school safety bill was introduced late in the session as a response to Parkland. Other school safety measures were likewise stranded un-passed, including one mandating a summer study committee on school safety.

It was recently announced that the legislature will return to the statehouse in an additional session to continue to address these bills and others that were not acted on before the end of the regular session. While this move is controversial, as it will cost taxpayers an additional $30,000 per day, the return by lawmakers is in part precipitated by the concerns over school safety and feelings that students’ and teachers’ concerns have not been addressed.