Horne’s calls on lawmakers to support bill with School Safety Task Force Recommendations
- Tue, Jan 16 2024 •
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- News
For immediate release: January 16, 2024
Contact: [email protected]
Horne’s calls on lawmakers to support bill with School Safety Task Force Recommendations
More safety enhancements suggested
PHOENIX – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne has joined forces with Arizona Representative Matt Gress in pursuing legislation that would allow the implementation of recommendations made by the 2023 ADE School Safety Task Force.
The Task Force consisted of both Democrat and Republican lawmakers, representatives from law enforcement, health care providers and community leaders who collaborated over a period of months to provide the proposals that form the basis for the legislation, HB 2400.
Horne said, “Making sure schools are safe for students, educators and staff is one of my highest priorities. It would be an unspeakable tragedy to have a maniac storm a campus and harm people, so it is vital to have armed officers at schools. Under prior legislation, districts could choose either officers or mental health professionals.”
Arizona Representative Matthew Gress said, “Schools must be places where all students, teachers and staff feel safe. This bill is the product of collaboration between educators, certified mental health professionals, law enforcement, legislators, and Superintendent Tom Horne to implement meaningful, common-sense school safety enhancements. I urge my fellow lawmakers to support this vital legislation.”
As introduced, the bill would add School Safety Officers and School Psychologists to the grant program, allow for retired officers to be eligible for the grant program, and permit schools to apply for the purchase of safety technology, safety training, and infrastructure improvements.
School Safety Officers are law enforcement professionals who are assigned to schools on an as-needed basis to provide full-time coverage at a school. School Resource Officers are assigned full-time to one campus.
In addition, the bill requires that schools must demonstrate they are unable fill a School Resource Officer position before they can receive funds for a School Safety Officer and submit a detailed plan to ADE to approve.
A school must submit a plan to ADE on how officers will be trained on FERPA, civil rights, and adolescent mental health issues.
The proposal also exempts school blueprints and floor plans from public records requests and adds a requirement for a school mental health professional guidance manual like the manual for School Resource Officers. The manual must be consistent with the Parents’ Bill of Rights.
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