Improving security in schools and the safety of students.
Requires the superintendent of public instruction to allocate grants to school districts for the purpose of implementing emergency response systems using evolving technology to expedite the response and arrival of law enforcement in the event of a threat or emergency at school.
Creates the students protecting students program, within the office of the attorney general, to operate a statewide communications center that provides students and the community with the means to relay information anonymously concerning unsafe, potentially harmful, dangerous, violent, or criminal activities, or the threat of these activities, first to law enforcement and public safety agencies, and as appropriate to school officials.
Authorizes the office of the attorney general to contract with an organization or call center to provide this program.
Requires the same background check process to purchase semiautomatic rifles and shotguns with tactical features as is currently required for pistols.
Requires the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs to establish a grant program for local law enforcement agencies to conduct background checks for the purchase and sale of pistols, semiautomatic rifles, and shotguns with tactical features.
Preparing for school violence.
Creates a committee on school violence preparedness.
Requires the committee, by June 30, 2018, to establish training curriculum standards that private and public entities may use: (1) To develop voluntary training programs offered to common school and charter school employees, identified by the committee, who hold a concealed pistol license;
(2) On the topic of how to safely use a firearm to prevent, stop, and respond to an active shooter event or other act of mass violence at a school; and
(3) To develop training programs on the issues of children's mental health awareness and conflict de-escalation.
Expires January 1, 2020.