SPRINGFIELD – State Sen. Tim Bivins is taking the school safety discussion beyond guns and offering more immediate and practical solutions, a news release from his office said.

Bivins, R-Dixon, a former Lee County sheriff, has put together a package of legislation that would create a school security task force and create a grant program to help school districts pay for security upgrades.

Schools already might be taking steps to improve safety, but Bivins believes the Legislature also has a responsibility to act on the matter.