HOUSE BILL REPORT

2SSB 5252

As Reported by House Committee On:

Education

Title: An act relating to a program to implement regional school safety and security centers in educational service districts.

Brief Description: Creating a program to implement regional safety and security centers.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Dammeier, McAuliffe, King, Litzow and Angel).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Education: 3/23/15, 3/30/15 [DPA].

Majority Report: Do pass as amended. Signed by 21 members: Representatives Santos, Chair; Ortiz-Self, Vice Chair; Reykdal, Vice Chair; Magendanz, Ranking Minority Member; Muri, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Stambaugh, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Bergquist, Caldier, Fagan, Gregory, Griffey, Hargrove, Hayes, S. Hunt, Kilduff, Klippert, Lytton, McCaslin, Orwall, Pollet and Springer.

Staff: Cece Clynch (786-7195).

Background:

Educational Service Districts (ESDs) provide cooperative, administrative, and informational services to and on behalf of school districts. The nine regional ESDs in Washington also assist the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education in the performance of their duties.

The ESD 105, in south-central Washington, created a School Safety and Security program that helps schools with prevention, protection, mitigation of harm, effective response, and recovery. The school safety and security program provides schools with technical assistance, resource networking, and collaboration to develop comprehensive plans, including the capabilities necessary to:

• Ÿavoid, deter, or stop an imminent crime or mass-casualty incident;

• secure schools against acts of violence and man-made or natural disasters;

• eliminate or reduce the loss of life and property damage;

• stabilize an emergency;

• establish a safe and secure environment;

• facilitate the transition to recovery; and

• assist schools affected by an event or emergency in restoring the learning environment.

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Summary of Amended Bill:

A pilot program is established that creates regional School Safety and Security Centers in three Educational Service Districts (ESDs). One ESD must be an ESD that is entirely west of the crest of the Cascade Mountains and is partially bounded by an international border, one ESD must be east of the crest of the Cascade Mountains, and one ESD may be located anywhere in the state.

The pilot program expires December 31, 2017, and must:

• Ÿestablish a network of school safety coordinators;

• collaborate with the ESD that developed the model;

• create technology-based systems that enable more efficient and effective communication between schools and emergency response entities;

• establish a plan to facilitate clear communication with students, parents, and guardians, including a system using school-based personnel or community organizations that can assist in providing information to those whose primary language is other than English;

• provide technology support to improve communication and data management between schools and emergency response entities;

• provide ongoing training of school personnel and emergency responders to establish a system for preventative identification, intervention strategies, and management of risk behaviors;

• provide for professional development to train school personnel as first responders; and

• build a collaborative relationship between participating ESDs and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the School Safety Advisory Committee to expand regional School Safety and Security Centers to all ESDs.

Amended Bill Compared to Second Substitute Bill:

The amended bill establishes a pilot program that requires three ESDs, rather than allows all ESDs, to implement regional safety and security center programs. The pilot program is authorized during the 2015-17 biennium.

The location of two of the three ESDs is specified, with one entirely west of the crest of the Cascade Mountains that is partially bounded by an international border, and one east of the crest of the Cascade Mountains. The third ESD may be located anywhere in Washington.

The amended bill retains the same components, and adds the following:

• a focus on expansion to all of the other ESDs; and

• establishment of a plan to facilitate clear communication with students, parents, and guardians, including a system using school-based personnel or community organizations that can assist in providing information to those whose primary language is other than English.

An expiration date of December 31, 2017 is provided in the amended bill.

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Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date of Amended Bill: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

(In support) The House saw the companion to this bill earlier in the legislative session.  This is an effort to raise up best practices, and to coordinate responses to emergencies among all types of schools as well as local responders.  Tribal schools and private schools are included. Earlier in this school year, a tragic situation occurred at one of the schools in this state.  While there is no appropriation attached to the bill, it is hoped that money will be found to facilitate these efforts at best practices and coordination of responses to emergencies.  Gathering together holistically has led to realizations and best practices. What ESD 105 and those gathering with that ESD to coordinate efforts have found, in one case, is that the local emergency responder for a particular jurisdiction may be far from a particular school, but that the local emergency responder for the adjacent jurisdiction might be much closer and able to reach that particular school more quickly.  Schools and local emergency responders and the broader community have worked as a team to promote bus safety, not just school buses but city buses as well.  Everyone wants students to be safe at school, and have the opportunity to obtain an education.  In addition to planning how to prevent and respond to emergencies, there must be planning to facilitate community recovery following a tragic event should one occur.  In the case of the planning that has taken place with ESD 105, a group of 25 or so persons from a variety of schools and entities meets as a group every other week to plan.  This is a good, regional model.  This is sound legislation.  There are all sorts of emergencies for which preparation and planning is needed, not just active shooter situations.  It is hoped that money will be made available.  Students are involved to some extent in the planning, but this is not fully developed yet. Communication with families and communities occurs via telephone, electronic mail, websites, and texts messages.  In the case of Grandview, all communications are made in both English and Spanish, since 85 percent of the population is Hispanic.  Attention needs to be paid to communicating in the variety of languages that the school families speak.

(Opposed) None.

Persons Testifying: Senator Dammeier, prime sponsor; Steve Myers, Educational Service District 105; Kevin Chase, Grandview School District; and Frank Hewins, Washington State School Safety Advisory Committee.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.