Delton Police Academy Train.JPG

Delton-Kellogg Elementary Principal Steve Scoville leads a group in how to approach a threat as part of the Barry Township Police Reserve Academy in Barry County. Some lawmakers want educators such as Scoville to be able to carry guns in school.

(Photo by Matt Gade | MLive.com)

House Speaker Jase Bolger is threatening to

force Michigan schools to provide documents

proving they are doing emergency drills as required by law.

Another House Republican leader is also weighing in.

"I understand that reports and paperwork can sometimes be a hassle for schools, but slacking off when it comes to school safety is not acceptable. We must ensure that our schools are following safety requirements and will look into this issue further," said state Rep. Lisa Posthumus Lyons, of Alto.

"Our local school boards should be holding schools accountable for our kids' safety and if they are not, we'll respond accordingly."

An MLive Media Group investigation found that fire, tornado and lockdown drills are being skipped in K-12 schools, or are not done as often as the law requires, or are done too late in the year to be of much help.

Documentation is required, but records were often not fully completed or were missing, and schools are not required to submit them to any agency. In at least one case, documents appear falsified.

CODE RED: MICHIGAN'S SCHOOL SAFETY FLAWS

An MLive investigation into how well schools are prepared for emergencies.

Monday: Corners cut, laws broken

• How is your school performing?

• Fewer fire drills and more lockdowns?

• Local reports: Ann Arbor, Bay City, Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Muskegon, Saginaw.



• How the investigation was done; story summaries

• Full coverage: All stories in one place



Tuesday: Campus confusion

• How public are drill records?

• Schools or forts? Best practices

Wednesday: Do more guns equal safer schools?



Thursday: Mental health: What can be done

• How would you improve safety?

So what should be done to ensure Michigan schools are conducting mandatory emergency drills, or to improve student safety in general?

One commenter believes schools should be required to post drill records online, just as they must financial information.

Some safety experts believe fire drills should be reduced in favor of more lockdown drills, as fire threats have dwindled due to better building codes. Many commenters disagree that any number of drills are the answer.

Legislation has been proposed that would allow teachers, staffers and others to carry concealed weapons in schools. It’s a divisive topic.

Still others believe the answer lies in improvements to the state’s mental health system, including initiatives aimed at identifying troubled teens earlier.

So what, if anything, do you think should be done to ensure drills meant to protect students are being properly conducted? What else can be done to keep our schools safe?

-- Email statewide projects coordinator John Barnes at jbarnes1@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter.