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School Safety Task Force

School Safety Task Force Final Report

This report is a product of Arizona's first-ever statewide School Safety Task Force — a multi-disciplinary group convened to reframe school safety as a multi-pronged approach to safety, health, and violence. This report covers the work of the Task Force's five objectives (referenced below) and includes resources and details about the process of the Task Force's work. 

Read the Final Report

Leer el reporte final

 

Legislative Recommendations

The School Safety Task Force Final Report outlines legislative recommendations to be considered in the 2021 Legislative Session, including:

  • Provide sustainable funding for the ADE to provide ongoing training on the determinants of the model school safety plan. 
  • Repeal legislation prohibiting the statewide collection of school disciplinary data. 
  • Provide sustainable funding for the ADE for a full-time position to establish a vetting process for resources and to create and keep current a clearinghouse of resources on its website. 
  • Provide sustainable funding to create and implement a statewide tip line for public and charter schools. 
     

Task Force Membership & Objectives

Per the original language in HB2597, The Task Force had five objectives.

  1. Identify a unifying, research-based approach to school safety
  2. Create a model school safety plan for use by schools and districts
  3. Develop a clearinghouse of resources
  4. Research the value and impact of a tip line and additional evidence-based, best practices for the State
  5. Create an outline of recommended legislative changes
     

The Task Force's members came from a variety of industries and backgrounds representing the diverse stakeholders from across the state. See a full list of members below. 

Courtney Acosta, Arizona Department of Education

Isaac Akapnitis, Arizona Department of Education

Joshua Ashton, March for Our Lives AZ 

Rebecca Astorga, Arizona Department of Education 

Dr. Kris Bosworth, College of Education, University of Arizona 

John Carruth, Vail Unified School District 

Andrew Chavez, Carl Hayden High School 

Emma Chavez, Arizona Department of Education 

Arcy Cornidez, National Alliance on Mental Illness/Southern AZ Chapter 

Officer Stephen Dieu, Chandler Police Department and Mesa Public Schools 

Kell Donley Williams, AHCCCS State Suicide Prevention Specialist 

Jordan Harb, March for Our Lives AZ 

Tammy Hille, Tucson Unified School District 

Dr. Sarah Lindstrom Johnson, Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University 

Julie Kent-Partridge, Washington Elementary School District 

Chris Kotterman, Arizona School Boards Association 

Callie Kozlak, Arizona Department of Education 

Carol Landauer, Mental Health Coalition of Verde Valley 

Jim Lee, Arizona Department of Education 

Stephen Leonard, Washington High School/Glendale Union High School District 

Yesmina Luchsinger, Arizona Department of Education 

Yasmin Lynch, Arizona Department of Education 

Jacob Martinez, March for Our Lives AZ 

David Martinez III, Vitalyst Health Foundation 

Linda Mason, Arizona Department of Education 

Erica Maxwell, Arizona Department of Education 

Sophia Mayberry, Arizona Department of Education 

Linda McCollum, Pima County Attorney’s Office 

Richard Moore, Academy of Tucson High School 

Celeste Nameth, Arizona Department of Education 

Jose Patino, Aliento AZ 

Larry Ross, HOPE College and Career Readiness Academy 

Emma Rowland, March for Our Lives AZ 

Keri Schoeff, Arizona Department of Education 

Chief Steve Stahl, City of Maricopa 

Dr. Jessica J. Summers, College of Education, University of Arizona 

Reid Swan, Flagstaff Unified School District 

Yating Tang, Arizona Department of Education 

Skyler Tuholsky-Froke, Gay and Lesbian Student Education Network AZ 

Jeanette Velasquez, Pima County Superintendent’s Office 

Jenny Walker, PhD, Arizona Department of Education 

Janelle Wood, Black Mothers Forum, Inc. 

Maya Zuckerberg, March for Our Lives AZ 

Background

The School Safety Task Force was brought together in October 2019 after a bill was sponsored in the state legislature to establish a task force within the Arizona Department of Education. Despite the efforts of students involved with the Arizona chapter of March for Our Lives to pass House Bill 2597 in the 2019 legislature, the bill failed to pass. However, lack of legislative action did not end the students’ vision for school safety. Instead, Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman partnered with March for Our Lives to create the first-ever statewide School Safety Task Force; a multi-disciplinary group convened to reframe school safety as a multi-pronged approach to safety, health and violence. 

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