Safer Schools & Safer Communities

Broad support continues to build for a new plan from the Oklahoma District Attorneys Association (ODAA) to enhance safety across the state's schools and neighborhoods.

As part of the ODAA's 2025 public policy framework — Stronger Communities, Safeguarding the Vulnerable — the ODAA is working with Oklahoma policymakers to address gun violence, improve school safety, and protect families in their homes.

District Attorney Jack Thorp, President of the ODAA, stated: "Every child deserves to feel safe in their school, and every family must feel secure at home."

A key provision adds firearm discharges into dwellings to Oklahoma's 85% crimes list, ensuring offenders serve the majority of their sentences for serious crimes. The expansion of Youthful Offender provisions covers actual school threats and firearm crimes for accountability.

State Sen. Lonnie Paxton, President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma State Senate, has shepherded Senate Bill 631 out of the Senate's Public Safety committee. The bill ensures that individuals who willfully or intentionally discharge a firearm into a dwelling face 85% crime classification. Paxton explained: "Right now, if you step out of a vehicle to shoot into a house, this crime is treated different than a drive-by shooting."

Thorp thanked Paxton for his leadership, noting such measures emphasize prevention alongside accountability. The framework also ensures that contracted school security personnel meet the same rigorous safety standards as full-time staff, closing gaps in student safety protections.