A northwest Iowa legislator says about 15 percent of Iowa school districts do not have plans for dealing with an “active shooter” situation.
Senator Jim Carlin of Sioux City wants that to change. Carlin sponsored a bill last year in the House, when he was a state representative, that would have required Iowa schools to establish security plans. It didn’t get a hearing.

Some Iowa schools have installed systems so a building or even portions of a facility may be locked down in seconds. Carlin says not every school district has that kind of money. His bill merely calls for school officials to give some thought to how they could respond if shooting starts at their school.

Carlin says the Iowa Department of Education already has materials that can help districts who lack a plan to develop one.