Virginia Schools To Examine School Safety After Sandy Hook

Virginia plans to take a closer look at school security policies and practices in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Newtown, Conn., An executive order from Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell will also prompt a look at funding and resource challenges to ensuring the safety of students and educators across the Commonwealth.

All Virginia school divisions will be required to review their safety audits under a plan McDonnell announced yesterday. McDonnell is creating a state task force to identify best safety procedures, as well as to determine education public safety resource needs.

"There's no price tag you can put on the person's lives that have been lost in this case," McDonnell said Monday. "And so with this order I'm executing today, and with the input we'll get over the next weeks and months, we'll have some additional ideas and no doubt some additions funding to make sure our young people are safe." 

The governor also announced a new position within the state Department of Criminal Justice Services dedicated to issues associated with school and campus safety.