Alan Keck announces school safety initiative funded by sports gaming revenue

‘The safety of our children and educators is paramount,’ says the Republican gubernatorial candidate

SOMERSET, KENTUCKY (April 7, 2023) — On the heels of the Kentucky General Assembly voting to legalize sports gaming, Somerset Mayor and Republican candidate for governor Alan Keck has announced his game plan for future revenue generated from this measure: improving school safety standards.

“Public safety should be the number one priority of any executive office holder,” Keck said. “It remains mine and is a core pillar of the Keck Game Plan for Kentucky. With that in mind, we are advocating for new school safety standards across the Commonwealth that utilize funds generated by sports gaming. The safety of our children and educators is paramount. We should invest this new revenue swiftly and wisely to ensure their protection, as school shootings continue to pose a significant threat across the nation.”

The Keck Game Plan for Kentucky outlines strategies for improvement in four areas — Economy, Family, Public Safety and Education — with the focus on policies that will help Kentucky grow, get more Kentuckians back to work, build the best education system in America, create a safer Commonwealth, and make Kentucky the most pro-life, pro-family state in the nation.

Keck’s Game Plan for School Safety includes the following measures:

• Makes it possible for veterans, including military police, to volunteer or work as school resource officers, increasing the number of SROs available to school systems across the state.
• Creates a custom training for veterans, including a full week of active shooter training. Currently, court security officers in Kentucky only receive two weeks of training, so this initiative expands on that requirement.
• Transitions all glass exit doors or walls in Kentucky schools to bulletproof glass.
• Installs and expands use of video, camera and security technology on all school campuses.

Keck recognized that legalizing sports gaming was a contentious issue for many Kentuckians. While he supported bringing gaming to the Commonwealth, Keck said he wants to use this revenue in a positive way on an issue that is needed and more universally supported.

“Many Kentuckians opposed sports gaming, and I don’t take that lightly,” Keck said. “That’s why it’s essential to me that we use the majority of these funds in a way we can all agree on, and making our schools safer is most certainly one.”

Keck recognized that sports gaming revenue likely will not cover the entire cost of these measures, but will provide a good foundation for future investment in improving school safety in the Commonwealth.