LANSING, Mich., Nov. 10, 2022 — State Reps. Julie M. Rogers (D-Kalamazoo) and Graham Filler (R-Clinton County) introduced House Bills 6509 and 6510 to clearly mark the exterior of school buildings for first responders. Under HB 6509, school administrators would install high-visibility markers to identify doors, classrooms and other rooms from the outside of the building. House Bill 6510 provides a space for an appropriation to support school districts in implementation.

“Installing these markers is a simple, low-tech way to help first responders orient themselves as quickly as possible when they arrive at a school emergency,” Rogers said. “This legislation would make schools safer for kids and teachers in many types of emergencies.”

“Marking rooms from the outside was one of the recommendations of the 2018 School Safety Task Force,” Filler said. “But this commonsense safety measure has not yet been implemented statewide. These bills are a way to follow through on improving school safety.”

House Bills 6509 and 6510 were introduced with bipartisan support and will be referred to committee at the next session meeting of the Michigan House.

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