Indiana lawmakers establish Office of School Safety to coordinate school safety, emergency protocols

A new state office will soon give Indiana schools more guidance on safety measures. The governor signed a law to establish the Office of School Safety within the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

The new office will coordinate school safety resources and work with other state agencies to determine best safety practices for schools. It will also maintain guidelines for school security and emergency response protocols.

HEA 1637 tasks the new office with collecting data and information from previous school disasters around the country. It will then use that information to create a program to train and certify school safety specialists.

Join the conversation and sign up for our weekly text group: the Indiana Two-Way. Your comments and questions help us find the answers you need on statewide issues, including our project Civically, Indiana and our 2025 bill tracker.

The office can also meet with school corporations and charter schools to review their safety plans and make recommendations. Schools must follow certain requests from the office.

The legislation will take effect July 1.

Stay in touch: sign up for the Indiana Two-Way by texting “Indiana” to 765-275-1120.