By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com

In the wake of the Oxford High School shootings, a local lawmaker is requesting a state audit of school safety drill compliance.

22nd District State Senator Lana Theis, on Wednesday, requested a formal audit request to state Auditor General Doug Ringler, seeking verification on whether Michigan K-12 schools are conducting, documenting and reporting mandatory safety drills.

Public Act 207 of 1941 requires school districts to conduct a minimum of 3 drills each school year that include security measures that are appropriate to an emergency such as the release of a hazardous material or the presence of a potentially dangerous individual on or near the premises. It also requires that documentation of the completion of such drills be posted on the district’s website within 30 days and maintained for at least 3 years.

Theis, a Republican from Brighton Township, chairs the Senate Education and Career Readiness Committee. Following the November 30th shootings in Oxford, she began to research the status of safety drill compliance. She said, in a release, that what she found was alarming. Theis said that “school safety drills are entirely self-directed and self-reported,” and that “there is no process to ensure schools are following the official state police drill model, nor any formal record to verify whether safety drills have been conducted.” She continued, saying “this is an extraordinarily concerning development that must be corrected for the sake of every student and parent in the state.”

Theis said she hopes the Auditor General will accept her request to audit compliance, and that “regardless of his findings, it is clear more must be done to streamline this process and ensure our schools and students are better prepared.”

A full copy of her letter to Ringler can be found attached below.