 |
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, First Regular Session
schools; safety training; pilot program
Purpose
Establishes the School Active Threat Response Pilot Program (Pilot Program) in the Arizona Department of Education (ADE), until December 31, 2027, to provide school safety training and support to school districts and charter schools. Appropriates $10,000,000 from the state General Fund in FY 2024 to ADE.
Background
A school district governing board, in conjunction with local law enforcement and response agencies, must develop an emergency response plan for each school in the school district in accordance with minimum standards developed by ADE and the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs Division of Emergency Management (A.R.S. § 15-341).
The School Safety Program within ADE supports the costs of placing school resource officers (SROs), juvenile probation officers, school counselors and school social workers on school campuses for up to three fiscal years. A school district or charter school may apply to participate by submitting a program proposal to ADE. Subject to approval by the State Board of Education, ADE must select school sites to participate and may prioritize proposals for SROs and juvenile probation officer grants to school districts and charter schools that have agreements to share the cost with a law enforcement agency or the courts. ADE must annually evaluate and report on the effectiveness and impact of all approved program proposals through surveys and data from participating schools (A.R.S. §§ 15-154 and 15-155).
H.B. 2705 appropriates $10,000,000 from the state General Fund in FY 2024 to ADE.
Provisions
1. Establishes the Pilot Program in ADE to provide school safety training and support to school districts and charter schools in Arizona and requires ADE to establish procedures for school districts and charter schools to opt into the Pilot Program.
2. Appropriates $10,000,000 from the state General Fund in FY 2024 to ADE for the Pilot Program.
3. Requires ADE, subject to available monies, to provide to school districts and charter schools that have opted into the Pilot Program:
a) ADE-developed training for teachers and administrators; and
b) medical response equipment or reimbursement for the purchase of medical response equipment related to school active threat response training and preparedness.
4. Directs ADE to develop training for teachers and administrators that includes:
a) recognition of early warning signs of an imminent threat;
b) emergency response to active threats, including medical treatment of injuries and combat casualty care; and
c) firearm safety training.
5. Repeals the Pilot Program on January 1, 2028.
6. Allows ADE to adopt policies and procedures to carry out the purposes of the Pilot Program.
7. Exempts the appropriated monies from lapsing, except that monies remaining unencumbered or unexpended on December 31, 2027, revert to the state General Fund.
8. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
House Action
ED 2/14/23 DP 6-3-0-1
APPROP 2/20/23 DP 9-6-0-0
3rd Read 3/1/23 31-28-1
Prepared by Senate Research
March 13, 2023
LB/KT/slp