Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Education Committee

HB 1284

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Background:

School Safety Planning Requirements.

Each school district must adopt and implement a safe school plan that includes school safety policies and procedures. The plans must contain numerous elements, including:

addressing emergency mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery;
specifying provisions for assisting and communicating with students and staff;
using the training guidance provided by the Washington Emergency Management Division of the state Military Department in collaboration with the School Safety Center and the School Safety Center Advisory Committee; and
setting guidelines for requesting that local emergency response providers and county emergency management agencies to meet with school districts and participate in safety-related drills.

School Safety Center and Advisory Committee.

Located in the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the School Safety Center provides resources to districts and schools for the purpose of helping to develop high-quality emergency operations and safety plans.

The School Safety Center Advisory Committee (Safety Committee) advises the Superintendent of Public Instruction on issues related to the School Safety Center, including:

disseminating successful models of school safety plans and cooperative efforts;
providing assistance to schools to establish a comprehensive safe schools plan;
selecting models of cooperative efforts;
acting as an information dissemination and resource center when an incident occurs;
coordinating activities relating to school safety; and
reviewing and approving manuals and curricula used for school safety models and training.

Safe School Building Legislation of 2013.

Legislation adopted in 2013 (i.e., Second Substitute Senate Bill 5197, enacted as ch. 233, Laws of 2013) required school districts to work collaboratively with local law enforcement agencies and school security personnel to develop an emergency response system that expedites the response and arrival of law enforcement in the event of a threat or emergency, and required the Safety Committee to develop related model policies and strategies for designing the emergency response systems. The legislation also directed the OSPI to allocate competitive grants to school districts for the implementation of the emergency response systems.

In accordance with funding authorized in the 2013-15 Capital Budget, the OSPI provided grant funds to qualifying school districts for the implementation "panic button" systems and corresponding software on faculty phones and computers that allows for expedited communications with law enforcement during a school emergency.

Summary of Bill:

By December 2017, the OSPI must develop a statewide panic button program that will be available to all school districts. When developing this program, the OSPI must, at a minimum, complete specified activities, including:

securing a statewide contract with technology providers necessary to operate a statewide panic button program;
assuming the costs of implementation will be for having the technology implemented in all school districts;
coordinating with 911 centers to facilitate implementing the panic button technology in school districts within their jurisdiction, and assuming any 911 center software costs necessary for this purpose; and
developing panic button minimum standards.

The panic button minimum standards must:

connect the school employee to 911 while simultaneously notifying designated on-site personnel and first responders;
provide the location of the caller to 911 and first responders;
provide additional digital information to 911 or first responders that would be of significant value to 911 or first responders;
ensure interoperability between school districts and public safety jurisdictions; and
facilitate necessary training among school employees and first responders.

Participation by school employees in a panic button program is voluntary. School employees are not required to participate in the program or install a panic button application on their personal mobile telephone without their consent.

Legislative intent provisions are included specifying intent to have all school districts replicate the goals of the panic button programs that are currently operational in Snohomish county, and to develop panic button standards, efficiencies, and interoperability.